Anthropic secures a $45 billion computing agreement with Britain's Nscale.

      Anthropic has committed to investing $45 billion over the next six years for AI computing power at Nscale’s primary data center in West Virginia, which has a capacity of approximately 460 megawatts. Nscale, based in London, is preparing for a US stock market listing as early as next month.

      With this substantial deal, Anthropic is renting computing capabilities overseen by a British firm. This six-year agreement pertains to Nscale's main data center project in West Virginia, equivalent to around 460 megawatts of power.

      This represents a significant amount of electricity. Bloomberg estimates that this capacity is roughly what 345,000 American households consume simultaneously.

      The technology involved is cutting-edge. Nscale plans to utilize Nvidia’s Vera Rubin chips, which are set to begin operating in late next year, in the first of three buildings on a campus that will eventually reach around 1.35 gigawatts in total capacity.

      Nscale is a relatively new company, only two years old, and is gearing up for a US initial public offering as soon as next month. Three weeks ago, TNW raised questions about the foundations of that listing.

      The inquiry was focused on what a backlog signifies. Nscale's $51 billion in contracted revenue represents future income that is fully counted as soon as a deal is signed, in contrast to the roughly $100 million recorded in a recent quarter.

      This recent agreement now stands as the largest single entry in Nscale's revenue backlog. It follows a year during which Anthropic entered computing contracts, including one with the newly formed Fluidstack for $50 billion, and another with SpaceX for $45 billion.

      Microsoft was the first to explore the West Virginia site but later withdrew. The company had signed a letter of intent for the location in March but decided to back out during the summer, paving the way for Anthropic to become the new tenant.

      The financial implications for the site are significant. The complete development of the campus, along with an on-site power facility, is projected to cost about $71 billion according to planning documents, with approximately $47 billion allocated for the chips.

      All of this is unfolding in anticipation of a listing. Anthropic was valued at $965 billion in May and is anticipated to achieve a record market size at the time of its listing, making the secured capacity noteworthy for the prospectus as much as for the engineering teams.

      While Europe is represented through its company board members, including Sheryl Sandberg and former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and in the construction of a campus in Norway for Microsoft, the primary operations are in Appalachia, with the listing set for New York. Hence, Britain’s largest AI infrastructure firm is deploying its capital and selling shares outside its home country.

      Published August 26, 2026 - 5:35 pm UTC

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