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Nscale Secures $155 Million in Series A Funding for Its AI Infrastructure Platform
Nscale, a startup based in London, has successfully raised $155 million in Series A funding to enhance its hyperscaler platform that provides comprehensive access to data centers and AI chip clusters.
Emerging from stealth mode in May 2024, Nscale positions itself as a fully integrated AI infrastructure provider aimed at meeting the demands of businesses that require advanced technology for AI applications.
As a hyperscaler, Nscale offers a complete suite of tools essential for training and running AI applications, including large language models. Founder and CEO Joshua Payne emphasized in a recent interview with Business Insider that Nscale supplies everything from data centers to graphics processing units (GPUs) as part of its service.
The startup sets itself apart from competitors in the AI cloud space, such as Lambda Labs and Coreweave, by offering a broad spectrum of integrated components rather than just specific parts of the infrastructure layer. According to Payne, owning its data centers and virtualized GPU nodes enables Nscale to achieve more favorable unit economics compared to its peers.
Payne highlighted a core challenge facing the industry, noting that many clients, particularly those interested in large language models (LLMs), lack the expertise needed to scale up their operations effectively. He pointed out that competitors who do not own their data centers are at a disadvantage, having to lease infrastructure rather than controlling the entire value chain. This ownership allows Nscale to be both faster and more cost-effective.
Following the public rollout of ChatGPT-3, Nscale pivoted to focus on building an AI infrastructure capable of withstanding economic fluctuations, as Payne explained. “Our thesis was that if this is indeed the fourth industrial revolution, we needed to create a robust AI cloud. We determined that vertical integration—developing data centers, GPUs, and the necessary software—was the optimal approach.”
Since its launch, Nscale has significantly expanded its data center capacity across Europe and the United States, climbing from 300 megawatts to 1.3 gigawatts.
The company utilizes its resource pool by constructing specialized data centers, procuring GPUs, and offering AI cloud services, which are made available to clients on an hourly rental basis. Customers can enter contracts for varying durations, allowing them flexibility in usage.
The recent funding round, led by Sandton Capital Partners, included contributions from Kestrel, Bluesky Asset Management, and Florence Capital. Nscale had previously gathered over $30 million during its pre-seed and seed funding phases, underscoring the strong interest from investors in companies that operate within the AI infrastructure sector.
With this new capital, Nscale aims to invest in extensive GPU clusters and further enhance its software development efforts, preparing for the public launch of its cloud platform scheduled for January 2025.
Business Insider gained exclusive access to the nine-slide memo that Nscale used to secure its latest funding.
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