British startup Nscale has opened its first physical office in Mayfair, London, marking a key milestone less than a year after launching. The move follows a $155 million (£115.5 million) Series A funding round that underscored strong investor backing for its AI-focused data centre model.
Nscale designs and operates facilities tailored for large-scale AI workloads, using closed-loop direct liquid cooling technology to boost performance and energy efficiency. The company is positioning itself at the forefront of meeting soaring global demand for sustainable, high-capacity AI infrastructure.
“London is a natural anchor for this vision,” said Josh Payne, CEO. “It connects us to customers, partners and policymakers across the continent. It also gives us a base from which to deepen collaboration and accelerate the adoption of AI across industries and public life.”
The company is leading one of Europe’s most ambitious AI infrastructure projects, Stargate Norway, a $1 billion joint venture with Aker ASA and OpenAI. Located near Narvik, the facility will house 100,000 Nvidia GPUs by 2026, powered entirely by renewable hydropower. Initial capacity of 230MW will grow to 520MW, with long-term plans to expand tenfold. Excess heat from the site will be reused to support local low-carbon industries.
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has highlighted Stargate Norway’s strategic role in expanding compute resources across Europe, calling it a catalyst for innovation and growth.
In parallel, Nscale has pledged £2 billion to the UK data centre sector, with a major facility due by late 2026. The site will host up to 45,000 NVIDIA GH200 GPUs and create around 750 jobs, reinforcing the government’s ambition to establish sovereign, secure AI infrastructure.
Since its launch in May 2024, Nscale has scaled its pipeline of data centres across Europe and North America from 300MW to 1.3GW, with 120MW of capacity planned for 2025 alone. Its projects combine cutting-edge sustainability practices with advanced AI compute capabilities, aligning with UK and European goals for responsible technology adoption.
Payne said the company was focused on laying “foundations for sustainable AI infrastructure, strong partnerships, and the people who make it possible,” as Nscale positions itself at the heart of Europe’s AI revolution.
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Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative mentions Nscale's opening of its first physical office in Mayfair, London, following a $155 million Series A funding round completed within its inaugural year. This suggests the company launched in May 2024. The report also references Nscale's involvement in the Stargate Norway project, announced on July 31, 2025. Given that the article was published on September 2, 2025, the information appears current. However, the specific opening date of the London office is not provided, making it challenging to assess the exact freshness of this detail. Additionally, the article includes updated data but recycles older material, which may justify a higher freshness score but should still be flagged. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/technology/aker-nscale-build-1-billion-openai-plant-norway-2025-07-31/?utm_source=openai))
Quotes check
Score:
7
Notes:
The article includes a direct quote from Nscale's CEO, Josh Payne, regarding the strategic importance of London. A search for this quote reveals it was used in the announcement of the Stargate Norway project on July 31, 2025. This suggests the quote may have been reused, potentially indicating recycled content. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/technology/aker-nscale-build-1-billion-openai-plant-norway-2025-07-31/?utm_source=openai))
Source reliability
Score:
6
Notes:
The narrative originates from UK Tech News, a publication that appears to be a single-outlet news source. This raises questions about the reliability and potential biases of the information presented. Additionally, the article references Nscale's CEO, Josh Payne, but does not provide verifiable information about his background or the company's public presence, which could indicate potential fabrication.
Plausability check
Score:
7
Notes:
The article presents Nscale's rapid growth and expansion into AI infrastructure, including the opening of a London office and involvement in the Stargate Norway project. While these developments are plausible, the lack of specific details, such as the exact opening date of the London office and verifiable information about the company's leadership, raises questions about the authenticity and completeness of the narrative. The use of a direct quote from the CEO without clear attribution further diminishes the credibility of the report.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): FAIL
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The narrative presents information about Nscale's recent developments, including the opening of a London office and involvement in the Stargate Norway project. However, the lack of specific details, potential reuse of quotes, and questions about the reliability of the source and the verifiability of the company's leadership raise significant concerns about the authenticity and credibility of the report.
