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[Microsoft withdraws from the UK’s largest AI data center project; power supply may be delayed until the 2030 s]

Microsoft has withdrawn from a major AI data center project being developed in Essex by UK data center company Nscale. The withdrawal is reportedly related to concerns over power supply. UK National Grid officials had told Nscale that the data center was not expected to receive power until the 2030 s.Nscale is exploring the possibility of on-site power generation and whether the grid-connection process can be accelerated. The UK government had described the project as the UK's largest data center, originally scheduled to open next year. At the time of reporting, the site appeared to remain merely a scaffolding yard. Microsoft had planned to fund the construction of a supercomputer, but the partnership has now been terminated. Following the termination of the related computing-capacity deal,Nscale lost its only publicly announced customer for its Essex data center.Nscale said its relationship with Microsoft remains strong and long-standing, and that the two parties will continue to cooperate on other overseas projects; Microsoft will remain involved in its other project in Norway. The Starmer government highlighted the project when unveiling the UK's 2025 AI strategy, calling it the UK's largest sovereign AI data center.Nscale has received support from several technology companies, including NVIDIA, and plans to list in the United States this year, with a potential valuation of 35000000000 USD。