Stargate UK by Nscale: status and timeline

Milestones

Next · Initial GPU deployment begins

Stargate UK announced16 Sep 2025Complete.
Initial GPU deployment beginsTarget Q1 2026Not yet reached.
Loughton facility operationalTarget Q4 2026Not yet reached.
Scaling to 31,000 GPU capacityTarget 2027Not yet reached.

Upcoming

Q1 2026Initial GPU deployment begins (next)
Q4 2026Loughton facility operational
2027Scaling to 31,000 GPU capacity

Current obstacles

UK power infrastructure constraintsSecuring stable, low-cost power for large GPU deployments in the UK remains challenging; national grid capacity and utility agreements are critical constraints.
Real estate and permittingBuilding multiple data centers in England requires land acquisition, planning permission and local support; timelines can be unpredictable.

Physics limits

UK national power limitsThe UK's electricity grid has finite capacity; large data centers must negotiate directly with utilities and potentially invest in local power generation or storage.

How it works

3 parts

Multi-facility strategy

Distributed GPUs across UK sites

Multiple data centers in UK (Loughton and others via Stargate UK) reduce latency and power load on any single site.

Loughton flagship

Purpose-built facility in Essex

A modular, liquid-cooled data center in Loughton, Essex, designed for high-density AI workloads with expansion capacity to 90MW.

Sovereign infrastructure

UK-based computing for regulated workloads

OpenAI's models on local UK computing for specialist use: critical services, regulated industries, research, national security.

Spec sheet

Spec	Stargate UK
Initial GPU exploration (Q1 2026)	up to 8,000 NVIDIA GPUs^R (reported)
Scaling potential	up to 31,000 NVIDIA GPUs^R (reported)
Loughton facility capacity	50 MW (scalable to 90 MW)^R (reported)
Loughton GPU capacity	up to 45,000 NVIDIA GB200 GPUs^R (reported)
Total UK investment commitment	£2.5 billion (~$3B) over three years^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

About Nscale

The team behind Stargate UK

Nscale

AI infrastructure, GPU data centers, cloud computing

Nscale is a British AI cloud and data center company headquartered in London with facilities in Norway, UK and US. Provides managed cloud platforms, energy systems, and infrastructure for hyperscale AI customers including Microsoft, Meta, Google and OpenAI.

Raised $2B Series C at $14.6B valuation. $3.36B pre-IPO financing led by Third Point and NVIDIA.
Operates data centers in Narvik (Norway), Loughton (UK) and US with liquid cooling and modular design.
Operating Stargate Norway (targeting 100,000 GPUs by end 2026) and Stargate UK infrastructure partnership with OpenAI.

nscale.com (opens nscale.com)Company profile →

Founded: 20242 yrs
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Status: Private
Valuation: $30Best. privateSep 2026estimate
Raised: $2B1 round
Last round: Pre-IPO convertible financing · $3.4BSep 2026
Works in: ComputingAI factories & supercomputers
Coverage: 2 programs · 3 updateslatest 1 Sep 2026checked 10 Oct
Lead investors: Third PointAker ASA8090 Industries
Customers: OpenAIMicrosoftMetaGoogle
Partners: Aker ASA
Investors: NVIDIA
People: Josh PayneFounder & CEOJustin OsofskyChief Operating Officer

Spec

Stargate UK

Initial GPU exploration (Q1 2026)

up to 8,000 NVIDIA GPUs^R (reported)

Scaling potential

up to 31,000 NVIDIA GPUs^R (reported)

Loughton facility capacity

50 MW (scalable to 90 MW)^R (reported)

Loughton GPU capacity

up to 45,000 NVIDIA GB200 GPUs^R (reported)

Total UK investment commitment

£2.5 billion (~$3B) over three years^R (reported)