• D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG
  • D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
Semafor Logo
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG


Flagship newsletter icon
From Semafor Flagship
In your inbox, every weekday
Sign up

OpenAI to expand data center project into Norway

Aug 1, 2025, 8:15am EDT
PostEmailWhatsapp
A prototype floating data center with solar panels
A prototype floating data center with solar panels in France. Stephane Mahe/Reuters

OpenAI will expand its Stargate data center project into Norway.

The artificial intelligence firm plans a 290-megawatt installation, powered by renewable energy. Europe is keen to catch up in the AI race, in which it is lagging behind the US and China. The continent’s energy costs are high, permitting and legislation delays prevent rapid building, and its grid is in need of modernization, CNBC reported.

But officials are targeting huge, energy-intensive projects they are calling “gigawatt factories,” essentially huge data centers with additional infrastructure, to support new AI products. Other tech giants are on board: Nvidia’s CEO said his firm is helping build them in France, Italy, and the UK.

AD