As part of the initiative, Nscale and Microsoft have agreed to invest in Nscale’s AI Campus in Loughton. Once operational, it will become the UK’s largest AI supercomputer, delivering 50MW of AI capacity, expandable to 90MW. The facility, scheduled to begin operations in 2027, will initially include 23,040 NVIDIA GB300 GPUs. It is expected to play a key role in supporting Microsoft’s Azure services across the UK, benefitting multiple sectors of the economy.
In a separate collaboration, Nscale, OpenAI, and NVIDIA are establishing Stargate UK, an infrastructure platform designed to deploy OpenAI’s technology in the UK. The initiative will focus on sovereign workloads and will explore the use of up to 8,000 NVIDIA GPUs in the first quarter of 2026, with the potential to expand to 31,000 GPUs. Stargate UK will operate across several locations, including Cobalt Park, part of the new AI Growth Zone in the North East.
Nscale also confirmed plans to deploy 4,600 NVIDIA GB300 GPUs in partnership with NVIDIA DGX™ Cloud. This includes support for the DGX Lepton Marketplace, which will provide resources for AI developers nationwide. In total, Nscale will install up to 58,640 NVIDIA GPUs across the UK, contributing to its broader strategy of deploying 300,000 GPUs worldwide.
Nscale CEO Josh Payne said: “This historic commitment from Nscale shows how the UK can build the future of AI, together with our partners from the US. It’s only by building world-class AI infrastructure that we will stay competitive in the global race. These announcements represent the most significant provision of AI infrastructure in the UK yet deployed. We’re ensuring compute is available for UK start-ups, scale-ups and enterprises, demonstrating that the UK can be an AI maker, not a taker.”
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer commented: “In this age of AI, I want the UK to be the destination of choice for companies at the forefront of technological change, and renowned for harnessing homegrown talent and building sovereign capability. These major announcements mark a decisive step towards the UK becoming a world leader in AI, meaning more jobs and investment, more money in people’s pockets, and transformed public services — all part of our Plan for Change.”
Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella stated: “We are building the digital infrastructure for the AI era, deepening the connection between the US and UK and creating new opportunity in both nations. Together with Nscale, we are proud to announce the UK’s largest supercomputer, powered by over 23,000 GPUs.”
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang added: “Today marks a historic chapter in U.S.–United Kingdom technology collaboration. We are at the Big Bang of the AI era — and the United Kingdom stands in a Goldilocks position, where world-class talent, research and industry converge. By building state-of-the-art AI infrastructure and investing in British startups, we are unlocking the power of AI for the U.K. — fuelling breakthroughs, creating jobs, and igniting the next industrial revolution.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said: “The UK has been a longstanding pioneer of AI, and is now home to world-class researchers, millions of ChatGPT users, and a government that quickly recognised the potential of this technology. Stargate UK builds on this foundation to help accelerate scientific breakthroughs, improve productivity, and drive economic growth. This partnership reflects our shared vision that with the right infrastructure in place, AI can expand opportunity for people and businesses across the UK.”
