Aker Nscale Expands AI Data Center Footprint with New 250MW Facility in Northern Norway

New 250MW Data Center Planned in Northern Norway

Aker Nscale is reportedly planning another significant data center development in northern Norway, according to Norwegian newspaper Rana Blad. The 250MW facility will be situated in Korgen, a village south of Bodø, on land previously owned by power company Nordkraft. This represents the latest expansion in the company’s growing portfolio of Nordic data center projects.

New 250MW Data Center Planned in Northern Norway
Strategic Location and Power Requirements
Expanding AI Infrastructure Partnerships
Corporate Background and Funding
Industry Context and Regulatory Environment
Global Expansion Continues

Strategic Location and Power Requirements

The planned facility is currently awaiting power allocation from Statnett, Norway’s national power system operator, according to statements from Aker Horizons investment director Nils Lysø to Rana Blad. Analysts suggest Norway’s cool climate and abundant clean energy resources make it particularly attractive for data center operations, helping to reduce cooling costs and environmental impact.

Expanding AI Infrastructure Partnerships

This development follows Nscale’s recent high-profile partnerships in the artificial intelligence sector. In July, sources indicate the company announced a collaboration with OpenAI for the European Stargate project, which plans to deliver a 230MW facility with potential expansion to 290MW in Kvandal, also in northern Norway. The project aims to deploy 100,000 Nvidia GPUs by the end of 2026.

According to reports, Nscale’s involvement with OpenAI extends to the UK market as well, with the September 17 announcement of Stargate UK planning to deploy up to 31,000 GPUs across multiple Nscale data centers. On the same day, the company reportedly signed a substantial $6.2 billion, five-year agreement to supply computing power to Microsoft.

Corporate Background and Funding

Aker Nscale is a joint venture between investment firm Aker and former cryptocurrency mining company turned neocloud provider Nscale. The report states that Aker has been a significant backer of Nscale, leading a $1.1 billion Series B funding round in late September.

Nscale was formed in May 2024 after spinning out from cryptomining firm Arkon Energy. The company currently operates a 30MW data center in Glomfjord Industrial Park, with plans to double its capacity to 60MW. Their expansion strategy includes a £2.5 billion commitment to UK data center development, including a facility in Loughton, Essex, and multiple modular and fixed data centers throughout the country.

Industry Context and Regulatory Environment

Norway’s attractive conditions for data center operations have drawn increasing attention from industry players. The Norwegian government has responded to this growth by implementing new registration requirements effective July 1, requiring data center operators to disclose facility details, company information, and total energy consumption to authorities.

Aker, the Norwegian investment company backing Nscale, reportedly holds investments in ten listed and eight unlisted companies. According to their financial reporting, the company’s net asset value increased 7.43 percent year-on-year in Q2 2025, from NOK 61.9 billion to NOK 66.5 billion.

Global Expansion Continues

The company’s growth extends beyond European markets. Just last week, Nscale agreed to supply Microsoft with an additional 116,000 GB300 GPUs across facilities in Texas, US, and Sines, Portugal, indicating a strategic global expansion of their computing infrastructure services.

Industry analysts suggest these developments reflect the rapidly growing demand for AI computing capacity worldwide, with northern Norway emerging as a strategic location for energy-intensive computing operations due to its climate advantages and renewable energy resources.