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Nscale and Anthropic discuss a potential $45 billion AI-cloud deal

Nscale is reportedly discussing a second West Virginia data-centre deal with Anthropic worth about $45 billion, but the talks remain subject to change.

jajoy39

Oct 21, 2026 - 11:39

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Nscale official AI infrastructure/data-center visual from its infrastructure page. — Image: Nscale

Nscale and Anthropic discuss a potential $45 billion AI-cloud deal

Nscale is in talks to sell more AI-computing capacity to Anthropic in a potential deal worth about $45 billion, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. The proposal concerns a second facility at Nscale’s Monarch campus in West Virginia, following an August agreement.

The proposed building would provide 460 megawatts using Nvidia Vera Rubin chips. Anthropic would have a right of first refusal on a possible third building. Reuters said discussions were ongoing and could change; Anthropic did not immediately respond.

The report illustrates AI infrastructure’s scale and financing pressure. Nscale’s contracted value has grown from $100 million to more than $103 billion in two and a half years, while rival CoreWeave’s debt has drawn scrutiny. Microsoft also withdrew from anchoring an Nscale data centre after power delays.

Because this is a reported negotiation rather than a signed contract, the dollar figure should be treated as a potential value, not committed revenue for Nscale or committed spending by Anthropic.

The proposed second building would add to infrastructure at Nscale’s Monarch campus, but the central fact is that the parties were still negotiating. A potential $45 billion value should not be read as signed revenue or committed customer spending. The reported 460-megawatt design using Nvidia Vera Rubin systems also leaves delivery dependent on power, financing and construction schedules.

The talks follow an August agreement for an earlier facility, according to the report, and would give Anthropic a large additional source of computing capacity. Nscale’s contracted value has risen sharply in the account, but that figure describes reported commitments rather than cash already collected. The proposed building’s value similarly depends on a contract being signed and delivered.

Power availability is a practical constraint in the proposal. Reuters reported that Microsoft withdrew from anchoring an Nscale data centre after power delays, while the new proposal would require hundreds of megawatts. That context helps explain why the negotiations could change even if demand for Anthropic’s models remains strong.

Those constraints remain unresolved while the discussions continue.

Image: Nscale.