NexGen Cloud, an NVIDIA Elite Partner, announces its recent partnership with AQ Compute, a net-zero AI datacentre provider, in an effort towards launching Europe's first AI Supercloud. NexGen Cloud plans to launch its AI supercloud from AQ’s recently operational maiden datacentre in Hnefoss, Norway. This unique datacentre is specifically designed to manage AI workloads while conserving energy and water resources, reinforcing NexGen Cloud's ambitions for their AI supercloud to be carbon-neutral.
As a major development, NexGen Cloud will be the inaugural tenant of this first-of-its-kind facility, boasting 6MW of AI capacity. The prime focus of this association is to democratise AI training across Europe while maintaining a strong commitment to energy and water preservation.
Data centres are known for consuming a significant share of the world’s electricity, a challenge expected to scale up with the rapid growth of AI. As per the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centres currently consume over 1% of the world’s electricity and produce carbon emissions equivalent to the commercial airline industry. This consumption is projected to dramatically increase by 85.4-134.0 TWh before 2027, primarily attributed to the power needs of AI chips.
Through the AI Net Zero collaboration, NexGen Cloud intends to use AQ Compute's European infrastructure, harnessing renewable energy to operate its data centres. This strategic venture will enable NexGen Cloud's $1 billion AI supercloud to be net-zero. Furthermore, the European AI Supercloud is set to consist of over 20,000 NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs by June 2024, thereby providing enterprises with one of the world's most powerful GPU-accelerated platforms.
Chris Starkey, CEO, NexGen Cloud states "The AI market is expected to grow exponentially over the next 12-24 months and as such it is imperative to decarbonise as much of the data generated as possible. By housing the data created within our AI Supercloud in AQ Compute data centres, we are not just innovating technologically, we are pioneering a sustainable shift in the way AI data is processed."
In response, Henry Daunert, CEO, AQ Compute, added, "Considering the growing importance of AI technology, we are excited to partner with NexGen Cloud to create a sustainable path for implementing this new technological advancement. By providing a modular and low-carbon design, powered by clean energy, we are proud to set an industry standard for AI-ready data centres."
Both AQ Compute and NexGen Cloud share an ambitious commitment to reduce net-zero emissions by 2030, aligning with the Carbon-Neutral Data Centre Pact (CNDCP). This includes structuring power purchases to align with hourly carbon-free electricity generation, thereby consummating a strategic move towards a more sustainable and environmentally progressive horizon.