Anthropic is in talks with U.K. neocloud Nscale for a second deal worth around $45 billion to lease computing capacity at a 460-megawatt data center in West Virginia, a person familiar with the matter said.
Anthropic is in negotiations with U.K.-based neocloud Nscale for a second multibillion-dollar computing capacity agreement, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday, underscoring the AI company's accelerating push to expand its infrastructure footprint.
The prospective deal would cover a second 460-megawatt data center at the same West Virginia site as the first agreement, which was previously reported in August. The new deal could be worth around $45 billion, according to the person, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing talks.
Anthropic declined to comment. Nscale was approached for comment.
Nscale, which is backed by Nvidia, builds and leases data centers and sells computing capacity to hyperscalers and AI laboratories. The company filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange in September, making it one of several so-called neoclouds that have sought public listings amid surging demand for AI infrastructure.
The timing comes as publicly listed neoclouds face mounting financial pressure. Rivals CoreWeave and Nebius have seen their shares decline 28% and 27%, respectively, over the past month, reflecting investor concerns over heavy borrowing across the sector.
Nscale has not been immune to setbacks. The Telegraph reported Sunday that Microsoft had pulled out of a deal to anchor an Nscale data center just outside London, citing delays in connecting to the country's power grid. An Nscale spokesperson told CNBC the company remained "committed" to the project and was "exploring alternative power sources for the site," adding that the "unfortunate London-wide grid issue has no impact on our other contracts."
On the demand side, Anthropic said earlier this year that growing interest in its Claude AI models and products had created "inevitable strain" on its infrastructure. The company has since announced a series of agreements with infrastructure partners, including Advanced Micro Devices, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Google, and Broadcom, in an effort to boost computing capacity.
The West Virginia site is central to Anthropic's near-term buildout strategy, and a second 460-megawatt facility there would significantly expand the footprint established by the first deal. At $45 billion, the agreement would rank among the largest infrastructure commitments in the AI industry.
Whether the talks result in a signed agreement will be closely watched by investors tracking both Anthropic's capacity ambitions and Nscale's ability to secure anchor tenants as it pursues its public listing — particularly in light of the London grid complications that have drawn scrutiny to its U.K. operations.
Marc Sabatini is a staff writer at TechEchelon covering enterprise software, cybersecurity, and the regulatory beats that shape both. He focuses on the deal flow and policy decisions that move markets.
More from Marc →Apple has scheduled a product launch event for October 28 in Los Angeles, with analysts expecting new Macs — potentially including the company's first touchscreen laptop — under CEO John Ternus.
Economists and labor researchers warn that women face disproportionate exposure to AI-driven job losses, citing their concentration in clerical and administrative roles — a pattern echoed by the automation of telephone switchboards, which eliminated an estimated 75,000 jobs held overwhelmingly by women.
Anthropic announced it is committing 5% of its shares to a newly created "public benefit fund," with provisions to contribute more as the company's valuation grows. CEO Dario Amodei has described the AI industry as facing "fundamentally a crisis of trust."
Written for readers who already know the basics — markets, AI, and the policy decisions that shape both.