Nscale, Anthropic Discuss Second $45 Billion AI Computing Deal: Report
Nscale is reportedly in talks to supply Anthropic with another roughly $45 billion of AI computing capacity, as the data center developer pursues a major customer commitment following Microsoft’s withdrawal from a separate UK project.
The proposed agreement would cover a second building at Nscale’s Monarch campus in West Virginia, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The facility would provide 460 megawatts of computing capacity using Nvidia’s Vera Rubin chips.
Anthropic, the developer of the Claude AI models, agreed in August to spend $45 billion renting computing power at the same campus. A second agreement of a similar size would bring the combined reported value to about $90 billion, if completed.
Anthropic also has a right of first refusal on a planned third Monarch building, according to Bloomberg. Discussions remain ongoing and the terms could change.
The negotiations come after Microsoft ended its agreement for Nscale’s planned data center in Loughton, Essex, as previously reported. That project had faced repeated delays, with grid officials telling Nscale that electricity was not expected to be available until the 2030s. Nscale said the London-area grid constraints had no effect on its other contracts. The company said it remained committed to Loughton and was exploring alternative power sources for the site.
The setback illustrates the difficulty of turning large AI computing commitments into operating facilities when power connections lag construction plans. At Monarch, Nscale has outlined an on-site microgrid designed to support expansion beyond eight gigawatts. The company acquired the campus in March and said deployments were scheduled to begin in late 2027. Those remain development plans.
The customer negotiations and construction risks also form part of Nscale’s pitch to prospective public-market investors. The company filed for a US initial public offering on Sept. 18 and applied to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NSCL.
