OpenAI has announced the start of construction of Europe's first large-scale AI infrastructure facility in Norway, as part of its ongoing global expansion. The project aims to give Europe greater sovereignty over its AI ecosystem.

OpenAI is collaborating with Norwegian industrial group Aker and infrastructure provider Nscale, and Stargate Norway is expected to become one of the largest AI data centers on the continent, with 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026. The centre will run entirely on renewable energy, with gradual capacity scalability over time.The centre is located in the Kvandal region near the northern Norwegian city of Narvik, benefiting from the region's abundant hydropower, cold climate, and advanced industrial infrastructure, which according to the partners contribute to reducing energy consumption and operational costs. The project starts with an initial capacity of 230 MW, with a plan to increase an additional 290 MW as demand grows.