{"rewrite":{"id":"r_7083e0be12b54c4cd494ff87","clusterId":"c_a629655c9a1395ff2f30403f","slug":"microsoft-cancels-gpu-lease-at-nscale-s-essex-ai-data-center","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Microsoft Cancels GPU Lease At Nscale's Essex AI Data Center","summary":"Microsoft has canceled its lease for 23,000 NVIDIA AI chips and withdrawn from Nscale's planned AI data center in Rafton, Essex. UK Power Networks told Nscale it cannot supply sufficient power until the 2030s, pushing operation from a 2027 target to the 2030s at the earliest. Microsoft was the only publicly announced major customer. Nscale says it is weighing alternative power sources and other UK sites.","whyItMatters":"A grid operator's power notice, not a change in AI demand, is what broke a project billed by Keir Starmer as a step toward UK AI leadership, and the chip lease was the load-bearing contract.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe power constraint came from UK Power Networks, which told Nscale it could not supply enough electricity until the 2030s. The site was originally slated to open in 2027; as of March 2026 it was still a materials storage yard.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMicrosoft\u0026#39;s UK commitment was announced in 2025 at 22 billion pounds, timed to Donald Trump\u0026#39;s state visit. The Rafton project was part of that package. Nscale says it is looking at alternative power sources at Rafton and other sites in the country, and that other Microsoft contracts are unaffected. The two companies are also building in Norway.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Nscale loses its only announced major customer because UK Power Networks cannot deliver power until the 2030s. The grid, not the chip supply, is what sets the timeline for Rafton, Essex.","twitterPost":"Nscale's Rafton data center lost Microsoft because UK Power Networks cannot supply power until the 2030s.","threadsPost":"Nscale's Rafton, Essex data center lost its only announced major customer. UK Power Networks cannot supply sufficient power until the 2030s, so Microsoft's 23,000-chip lease is gone and the start date moves from 2027 to the 2030s. Nscale is now weighing alternative power sources and other UK sites.","newsletterBlurb":"Microsoft has withdrawn from Nscale's Rafton, Essex AI data center, canceling a lease for 23,000 NVIDIA chips. The grid operator UK Power Networks told Nscale it cannot supply sufficient power until the 2030s. Nscale says it is considering alternative power sources and other UK sites, and that other Microsoft contracts are unaffected.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GIGAZINE\",\"url\":\"https://gigazine.net/news/20261019-microsoft-essex-ai-data-center/\",\"title\":\"Microsoft withdraws from one of the UK's largest AI data center plans\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4650,"outputTokens":577,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1792401745,"createdAt":"2026-10-19T09:18:57.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T09:21:12.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T09:21:12.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_a629655c9a1395ff2f30403f","canonicalTitle":"Microsoftがイギリス最大級のAIデータセンター計画から撤退","representativeArticleId":"a_07d091f665da8eb407f228fe","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-19T06:50:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-19T06:50:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T09:21:08.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GIGAZINE","url":"https://gigazine.net/news/20261019-microsoft-essex-ai-data-center/","title":"Microsoftがイギリス最大級のAIデータセンター計画から撤退"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"business","domain":"industry","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}