Microsoft exits the UK's largest AI data center, power supply may be delayed until the 2030s

According to a report by the Financial Associated Press, Microsoft has withdrawn from a large artificial intelligence data center project developed by the UK data center company Nscale in Essex, with reports indicating that the withdrawal is related to concerns over power supply. Officials from the UK National Grid had informed Nscale that the power supply for the data center is not expected to be in place until the 2030s. Nscale is exploring whether it can generate power on-site and whether it can expedite the grid connection process.

The project was previously referred to by the UK government as the largest data center in the UK, originally scheduled to open next year. As of the report, the site still appears to be just a scaffolding yard. Microsoft had originally planned to fund the construction of a supercomputer, but the collaboration has now been terminated. Following the termination of the related computing power transaction, Nscale lost its only publicly announced client for the data center in Essex. Nscale stated that its relationship with Microsoft remains strong and long-lasting, and the two parties will continue to collaborate on other overseas projects, with Microsoft still participating in another project in Norway.

The Starmer government highlighted this project when announcing the UK's 2025 artificial intelligence strategy, calling it the largest autonomous artificial intelligence data center in the UK. Nscale has received support from several tech companies, including Nvidia, and plans to go public in the US this year, with a valuation potentially reaching $35 billion.