Anthropic has inked a colossal $45 billion agreement with data center operator Nscale to secure a vast supply of computing power, further solidifying its infrastructure strategy as it prepares for a highly anticipated public listing.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the six-year contract covers approximately 460 megawatts of capacity at Nscale's flagship facility in West Virginia. The computing resources will be powered by Nvidia's Vera Rubin chips, which are scheduled to come online towards the end of next year.
This deal marks the latest in a rapid series of compute acquisitions for Anthropic. With a valuation of $965 billion as of May, the company is widely expected to launch a record-breaking initial public offering. For Nscale, which is seeking to go public as soon as next month, locking in Anthropic as a heavyweight tenant is seen as a critical step for its IPO ambitions. In a separate development, Anthropic has rolled out a Chrome extension for Claude to all paying subscribers, introducing new browser automation features.
Accelerated Compute Purchases Signal Pre-IPO Strategy
Over recent months, Anthropic has signed several major contracts with various compute providers. These include a $50 billion agreement with emerging cloud company Fluidstack, a $10 billion deal with infrastructure startup Volta Infra Holdings, and a $45 billion arrangement with SpaceX. The new agreement with Nscale further expands its procurement footprint.
The flurry of transactions underscores Anthropic's strategic push to secure vast computing resources before its IPO. For AI firms that depend on enormous processing power to train and run large language models, locking in multi-year supply contracts ensures the computational capacity needed for growth. It also signals strong demand-side momentum to prospective investors.
West Virginia Campus Offers Vacated Space After Microsoft's Exit
The agreement with Nscale covers the first of three buildings at the Monarch campus in West Virginia. According to planning documents, the fully built campus will boast a total capacity of roughly 1.35 gigawatts. Including an on-site power plant, the overall development cost is estimated at $71 billion, with AI chips alone accounting for $47 billion. Servers in the campus's remaining buildings are expected to receive power starting in 2028.
Sources indicate that the site was originally intended for Microsoft, which had signed a letter of intent in March to reserve capacity at the data center and had previously collaborated with Nscale in Europe. However, Microsoft withdrew from the West Virginia project earlier this summer, freeing up the space for Anthropic.
Nscale Targets IPO With $51B in Secured Contract Revenue
For London-based Nscale, this partnership with Anthropic is particularly significant. As an emerging cloud provider specializing in AI compute leasing, Nscale is a notable player in the same arena as CoreWeave. The company has reportedly informed potential investors that it has locked in approximately $51 billion in total contract revenue ahead of its listing.
Nscale boasts a prominent board that includes former Meta Platforms executives Sheryl Sandberg and Nick Clegg. The company is also developing a large-scale data center campus in Norway, which will be utilized by Microsoft.
Once the Monarch campus is fully operational, it is projected to create around 645 direct jobs in West Virginia and indirectly support roughly 3,600 additional employment opportunities across the state. During the construction phase, the project is expected to employ 4,375 construction workers on site.