Verne, a pioneering leader in low-carbon high-performance data centres within the Nordics, has forged a strategic partnership with Nscale, a renowned hyperscaler designed for AI tasks. This collaboration represents a significant advancement in enhancing Europe's sustainable AI capabilities.
The newly-signed 15-megawatt agreement entails deploying approximately 4,600 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs throughout Verne’s campus in Iceland. Due for completion by 2026, the deployment prominently features a configuration that is 85 percent liquid-cooled and 15 percent air-cooled. This setup is tailored to optimise efficiency and density within Verne’s current infrastructure.
This initiative establishes one of the Nordics' largest liquid-cooled GPU installations, setting a new benchmark in sustainable high-performance computing by diminishing energy consumption and environmental impact.
Iceland offers an ideal location for high-density computing due to its commitment to 100 percent renewable energy and free-cooling conditions. Verne's proven prowess in renewable energy usage made them the preferred choice for Nscale. This creates a solid foundation for executing large-scale AI training and inference workloads.
According to Dominic Ward, CEO of Verne, "The pace of change in AI infrastructure is extraordinary." As AI demand surges, clean, renewable power assumes as much importance as raw computational performance. This partnership with Nscale illustrates the Nordics' rise as a strategic nexus for sustainable AI advancement.
Nscale's Chief Business Officer Philippe Sachs emphasised the importance of sustainable solutions as global compute demands escalate. He noted the region's advantages in supporting sovereign-grade AI infrastructure with abundant renewable energy sources and natural cooling facilities. According to him, Verne has been a standout partner, demonstrating agility, technical expertise, and alignment with their sustainability vision.
David Hogan, Vice President - Enterprise at NVIDIA, explained how the collaboration with Verne and Nscale embodies the use of NVIDIA technology for creating energy-efficient, sustainable AI factories.
This strategic alliance between Verne and Nscale signifies Verne’s ongoing Nordic expansion. This initiative encompasses new campuses under development in Finland and exploratory ventures in France. Collectively, these reinforce the Nordic region’s burgeoning reputation as a vital global hub for AI infrastructure development.
