Former Meta execs join Nscale board as AI GPU rental firm raises $2B

Former British deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg has joined the board of UK-based GPU rental company Nscale, alongside Meta's former COO Sheryl Sandberg and ex-Yahoo president Susan Decker, as the neocloud firm secures $2 billion in Series C funding.

The appointments come as Nscale, which operates datacenters across Europe and the United States, completes its latest funding round led by Norwegian investment firm Aker ASA and 8090 Industries. The investment values the company at $14.6 billion and includes support from major tech players including Dell, Lenovo, and Nvidia.

Clegg, who stepped down as Meta's president of global affairs in early 2025, brings experience at the intersection of technology policy and global affairs to Nscale's board. His appointment follows a controversial period during which he defended AI companies' use of copyrighted material for training, arguing that requiring permission or payment would "destroy the AI industry."

Sandberg, who served as Meta's COO from 2008 to 2022, joins despite being sanctioned by a US judge last year for deleting emails related to the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal. She remains active in venture capital through Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners.

Decker, who led Yahoo during 2007-2008, adds financial and governance expertise to the board. She currently serves on multiple corporate boards including Costco, Berkshire Hathaway, and Vox Media.

The funding round coincides with Nscale's agreement to fully integrate the Aker-Nscale joint venture, previously announced as Stargate Norway. This project aims to construct a 230 MW datacenter providing 100,000 Nvidia GPUs for OpenAI by the end of 2026.

Nscale's existing board members, including Josh Payne, Rael Nurick, Jacob Leschly, and Aker CEO Øyvind Eriksen, will be joined by the new appointments as the company positions itself in the competitive AI infrastructure market.

The substantial investment reflects growing demand for GPU computing power as AI development accelerates, with neocloud providers like Nscale offering alternatives to building in-house datacenters for companies training large language models and other AI systems.