Nscale's Glomfjord AI data centre reported six months late after cooling leaks and a transformer fire
What changed
DCD, citing Bloomberg, reported on 16 October 2026 that Nscale's Glomfjord data centre in Norway is running about six months behind schedule, with construction delays, local regulations, leaks in the cooling system and a transformer fire among the reported hurdles. DCD later added an account from a source familiar with the project: the transformer fire was in December 2025 and destroyed switchgear, temporary generators kept the cooling running, the leak was fixed within weeks and the cooling system was completed more than three months ago. That source accepted there was an overall delay. DCD reports 6.4 MW of a planned 30 MW is operating. Nscale had not commented to DCD at the time of publication.
Why it matters Editorial analysis
The account is reported and partly disputed, so the cause and length of the delay are not settled. It still shows how a single electrical failure can take out switchgear and push cooling onto temporary generation, which is a scenario worth testing in commissioning and in the resilience design of any liquid-cooled AI hall.
Questions a buyer should ask
- How is switchgear separated from transformers in my design, so that one transformer fire cannot take out the distribution feeding the cooling plant?
- Can my cooling plant run on temporary generation, and is the connection point for it designed in?
- What leak detection and isolation does the liquid cooling loop have, and how was it tested before handover?
Read the original: DCD: Nscale's Glomfjord AI data centre reported six months late after cooling leaks and a transformer fire (opens in a new tab)
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Related records
- Technology Data centre power distribution
- Technology Direct liquid cooling (direct-to-chip)
- Category Switchgear & Transformers suppliers
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