Tech article
From press release … to scrap metal site: the Essex ‘supercomputer’ that’s still a scaffolding yard
Publisher description: Nscale’s AI project still in use as depot ahead of pledged completion date – with planning permission filed after Guardian’s inquiries
The Guardian | Mar 9, 2026 | Aisha Down and Dan Milmo
Automated excerpt
Microsoft has suggested that $15bn of this investment is for the Loughton supercomputer. However, the Guardian understands that Nscale’s “contract”, and Nscale and Microsoft’s $17. 5bn “investment”, are not commitments to the UK government, other UK companies, or the UK economy. The contract the government was referring to appears to be a contract between Microsoft and Nscale, according to an Nscale spokesperson. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The GuardianLike the US firm CoreWeave, another key player in the government’s AI ambitions, Nscale began as a bitcoin mining company, spinning off from the Australian crypto firm Arkon Energy in 2024.
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