CoreWeave Expands to the UK: AI Compute Now Available Internationally

CoreWeave Expands to the U.K. with New Data Centers

CoreWeave, a cloud computing provider specializing in AI compute resources, has officially launched its initial two data centers within the United Kingdom. This marks the company’s first expansion beyond its established U.S. market.

European Headquarters and Investment

The opening follows the establishment of CoreWeave’s European headquarters in London last May. This occurred shortly after the company achieved a valuation of $19 billion, fueled by a $1.1 billion funding round.

Concurrent with the headquarters announcement, CoreWeave revealed intentions to construct two data centers as part of a substantial £1 billion ($1.25 billion) investment within the U.K.

Government Support and AI Growth

This announcement aligns with a separate initiative from the U.K. government. The government has outlined a five-year plan to enhance its own AI computing capacity.

The plan also focuses on establishing geographic “AI Growth Zones,” incorporating AI infrastructure developed by private companies.

Chancellor's Statement

“This investment represents significant confidence in the U.K.’s digital technology landscape,” stated Rachel Reeves, U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer. “It is precisely the type of development we aim to foster as we stimulate economic growth and leverage AI to improve efficiency.”

Data Center Details

CoreWeave confirmed that its inaugural U.K. data center became operational in Crawley as early as October. The second facility commenced operations in December, situated in London Docklands.

Both facilities are equipped with Nvidia’s Hopper GPUs – specifically, the upgraded H200 series of chips engineered for demanding AI workloads.

These graphical processing units provide the necessary power for advanced artificial intelligence applications.

The Evolution of CoreWeave: From Cryptocurrency to AI Computing

Established in 2017, CoreWeave initially concentrated on cryptocurrency mining operations. However, the escalating demand for AI compute – encompassing the necessary processing capabilities and infrastructure for tasks like algorithm execution and machine learning – prompted a strategic shift.

The company subsequently reconfigured its existing GPU infrastructure to accommodate these burgeoning AI workloads.

Emerging Players in the AI Infrastructure Landscape

CoreWeave is positioned among a growing number of cloud infrastructure startups aiming to leverage the current interest in artificial intelligence.

Several European companies are also vying for a share of this market, including FlexAI from France, DataCrunch located in Finland, and Nebius, a Netherlands-based firm originating from the restructuring of Russian technology company Yandex.

CoreWeave’s Expansion and Future Plans

Currently, CoreWeave operates a network of 28 data centers.

Further expansion is planned with the addition of 10 new data centers in 2025, with a significant portion – three facilities – slated for deployment within Europe.

Specifically, these European locations include previously publicized sites in Norway, Sweden, and Spain.

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