Anthropic strikes $45bn deal with Nscale to rent compute capacity

US AI model maker Anthropic has secured a $45 billion deal with UK-based data centre startup Nscale to rent compute capacity, according to a Bloomberg report. The agreement spans six years and would grant Anthropic access to 460 megawatts of power using Nvidia’s new Vera Rubin processor at Nscale’s West Virginia data centre development.

This deal highlights the ongoing challenge AI companies face in securing sufficient compute power for their models. Nscale, founded in 2024, operates as a "neocloud," offering AI inference and training computing power in five countries, including the UK. Backed by investors such as Nokia, Nvidia, Dell, and Blue Owl, Nscale has raised over $5 billion in funding and aims to go public this year.

The company has previously partnered with Microsoft but has faced challenges, including a paused partnership with OpenAI due to high energy costs and potential delays in their UK data centre project due to grid issues. Nscale remains committed to supporting the UK AI ecosystem, with CEO Imran Shafi emphasizing the company's importance to the UK.