OpenAI, NVIDIA, and Nscale Launch Stargate UK to Enable Sovereign AI Compute in the UK

TL;DR

• Stargate UK is a sovereign AI infrastructure partnership between OpenAI, NVIDIA, and Nscale to strengthen the UK’s local compute capabilities.
• The program includes an off-take of up to 8,000 GPUs in Q1 2026, with potential to scale to 31,000 GPUs over time, across multiple sites including Cobalt Park in the North East AI Growth Zone.
• NVIDIA will provide access to its advanced GPUs; Arm Grace Blackwell chips are part of Nvidia’s latest Grace Blackwell series, highlighting UK-US hardware collaboration.
• OpenAI will bring the OpenAI Academy to the UK to help upskill the workforce and support the Government’s ambition to upskill 7.5 million workers by 2030.

Context and background

Stargate UK is announced as an AI infrastructure partnership with NVIDIA and Nscale that strengthens the UK’s sovereign compute capabilities. The arrangement is designed so OpenAI’s world-leading AI models can run on local computing power in the UK, particularly for specialist use cases where jurisdiction matters. The initiative supports the UK’s future economy, aims to boost global competitiveness, and aligns with the country’s national AI Opportunities Action Plan. This rollout is part of OpenAI for Countries, a program to help governments build sovereign AI capabilities, and follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the UK Government in July 2025 to explore infrastructure priorities and accelerate AI adoption. The partnership underscores a broader US-UK technology collaboration. Nscale is positioned to significantly expand its planned UK capacity for Stargate UK, with the project expected to be based across multiple sites, including Cobalt Park, which will form part of the newly designated AI Growth Zone in the North East. OpenAI has signaled its intention to explore offtake of up to 8,000 GPUs in Q1 2026, with the potential to scale to 31,000 GPUs over time. This sovereign capacity will enable OpenAI’s models to run on local computing power for specialist use cases such as critical public services, regulated industries like finance, research projects, or national security partnerships. NVIDIA will supply access to its most advanced GPUs to ensure Stargate UK benefits from the latest generation of hardware. Arm’s Grace Blackwell chips are part of Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell series, illustrating ongoing collaboration between UK and US technology companies. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, highlighted the UK’s history as an AI pioneer and its strong ecosystem of researchers and users, noting that Stargate UK builds on this foundation to accelerate scientific breakthroughs, productivity, and economic growth. OpenAI also emphasizes its commitment to workforce readiness, announcing the OpenAI Academy in the UK to upskill the workforce and foster broad AI literacy aligned with government goals. The Academy will offer flexible, customizable learning experiences in partnership with local business leaders to expand access to AI education, support job creation, and help regions avoid AI adoption gaps. More details will be announced as the initiative progresses. OpenAI Stargate UK announcement

What’s new

The Stargate UK announcement formalizes a multi-party effort to deploy sovereign AI compute in the UK. Key elements include:

• An initial GPU offtake plan of up to 8,000 GPUs in Q1 2026, with the potential to grow to 31,000 GPUs over time.
• Deployment across multiple sites, including Cobalt Park in the North East AI Growth Zone, expanding the country’s local AI infrastructure footprint.
• NVIDIA’s role as the provider of its most advanced GPUs, ensuring access to the latest hardware for OpenAI’s models.
• The involvement of Arm, with Grace Blackwell chips forming part of Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell series, illustrating cross-company UK-US hardware collaboration.
• The OpenAI Academy’s arrival in the UK to advance AI literacy and workforce upskilling, in line with government ambitions to upskill 7.5 million workers by 2030.

Why it matters (impact for developers/enterprises)

For developers and enterprises, Stargate UK represents a pathway to run OpenAI’s models on local UK compute, enhancing data sovereignty and compliance for sensitive or regulated use cases. The sovereign compute capability supports critical public services, financial sectors, research initiatives, and potential national security partnerships by reducing reliance on offshore infrastructure for certain workloads. The effort aligns with the UK Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan and mirrors a broader US-UK technology partnership. By enabling local processing, organizations can pursue innovative AI deployments while addressing jurisdictional and governance considerations. Beyond the technology, the OpenAI Academy portion emphasizes workforce preparation for the AI era. The program aims to upskill a large portion of the workforce and design flexible learning experiences with local business leaders, contributing to productivity gains, job creation, and regional AI adoption that doesn’t leave communities behind.

Technical details or Implementation

Stargate UK centers on providing sovereign compute capabilities within the UK’s borders to support OpenAI’s models. Core elements include:

• GPU capacity plan: up to 8,000 GPUs in Q1 2026, with potential growth to 31,000 GPUs over time.
• Hardware ecosystem: NVIDIA will supply its latest generation GPUs; Arm Grace Blackwell chips are part of Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell series, reflecting collaboration across major technology players.
• Deployment footprint: the project will be based across a number of sites, including Cobalt Park, designated as part of the AI Growth Zone in the North East.
• Strategic partnerships: OpenAI collaborates with NVIDIA and Nscale under a sovereign compute framework to enable local AI workloads.
• Workforce and education: OpenAI Academy will be installed in the UK to upskill workers and expand AI literacy in support of government targets to upskill 7.5 million people by 2030.

Key takeaways

• Stargate UK represents a sovereign AI compute initiative in the UK, backed by OpenAI, NVIDIA, and Nscale.
• The program emphasizes local, jurisdiction-aware AI workloads, including critical public services and regulated industries.
• Early GPU commitments position the project for rapid expansion, with a plan to scale from thousands to tens of thousands of GPUs.
• The deployment includes a notable site at Cobalt Park within the North East AI Growth Zone.
• The OpenAI Academy signals a strong focus on AI literacy and workforce upskilling in alignment with government goals.

References

• https://openai.com/index/introducing-stargate-uk