Microsoft Exits Anchor Role for UK AI Supercomputer as Grid Delays Mount

When the deal was announced in September 2025, the plan called for 23,040 Nvidia GB300 GPUs to be installed in a 50MW facility, with room to expand to 90MW. Microsoft intended to use the computing capacity for its Azure cloud services, and the first chips were expected in early 2027. The project's power supply remained unresolved.

The Guardian reported last month that UK Power Networks warned Nscale that the grid capacity needed for the site might not be available until the 2030s. A UK Power Networks spokesperson told The Register that the company could not discuss individual connections because of obligations under Section 105 of the Utilities Act. The spokesperson said that in general many data centers can connect to its distribution network but are awaiting works on the national transmission network, which it does not own.

The Register reported that Microsoft's withdrawal leaves Nscale without a publicly announced customer for the Loughton site. Nscale told the publication that it remained committed to both the Loughton project and the UK and was exploring alternative power sources for the site, in addition to other expansion sites in the UK. It said its relationship with Microsoft remained strong and long-term and that the London-wide grid issue had no impact on its other contracts.

The project was presented as one of the largest proposed AI data center developments in Britain, built around Nvidia's GB300 chips. No new anchor customer for the site has been announced.