Additional reporting notes Microsoft cancelled a UK data center deal with Nscale over power concerns, potentially improving Anthropic's negotiating position
ConcludedRan 3 days2 sourcesupdated 22 Oct 2026
Anthropic in Talks for Second $45B Nscale Deal, Doubling WV Capacity
The gist
If completed, the two deals would give Anthropic control over nearly the entire first phase of a major purpose-built AI campus, with a combined value approaching $90B. Nscale's IPO prospects are tied to securing this second agreement.
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The full picture
Anthropic is negotiating a second $45B compute lease with Nscale for another 460 MW building at the Monarch Compute Campus in West Virginia, which would bring its total reservation at the site to 920 MW. The new building would run Nvidia Vera Rubin chips, with delivery expected in late 2027. Anthropic also holds a right of first refusal on the campus's expected third building, meaning it could end up controlling all 1.35 GW of the initial development. Anthropic's first Nscale contract, signed in August 2025, is a 6-year, 460 MW lease averaging $7.5B per year at roughly $16.3M per MW. Nscale is pursuing an IPO, and its filing lists Anthropic agreements worth up to approximately $44.6B. Microsoft separately cancelled a UK data center deal with Nscale partly due to power concerns, which one source notes may put Anthropic in a favorable negotiating position.
How it developed
Reports emerge that Anthropic is negotiating a second $45B, 460 MW deal with Nscale at the same West Virginia campus
Sources
Rohan Paul on X
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BackgroundCompute: the chips, clouds and data centers behind AI
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