Nscale confirms Microsoft ended its Loughton data centre contract
The confirmation comes from Nscale through a trade publication; this edition found no Microsoft statement. Neither company has disclosed Loughton spending, termination payments or financial impact, and the report does not show any change to Nscale's other Microsoft contracts.
What was claimed?
A Nscale spokesperson confirmed to Data Center Knowledge on October 19 that Microsoft terminated its contract for Nscale's planned data centre in Loughton, England. The Guardian had reported that UK Power Networks told Nscale it could not supply enough electricity until the early to mid-2030s. Nscale announced the site in 2025 as a 50 MW campus for 23,040 NVIDIA GB300 GPUs for Microsoft Azure. Nscale says it remains committed to the site, is exploring alternative power, and that its other Microsoft contracts are unaffected.
What does the evidence support?
Company claim, independent confirmation unresolved
Nscale filed for a U.S. IPO last month, and its filing shows Microsoft and Anthropic as its largest customers. The termination shows a grid connection delay costing an AI data-centre builder its announced customer for a site, and that announced capacity is not the same as powered capacity.
What are the limits?
The confirmation comes from Nscale through a trade publication; this edition found no Microsoft statement. Neither company has disclosed Loughton spending, termination payments or financial impact, and the report does not show any change to Nscale's other Microsoft contracts.
Claim or evidence date: 2026-10-19. Last verified: .
Data Center Knowledge · Nscale spokesperson confirms Microsoft terminated the Loughton contract ↗
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