UK-based artificial intelligence infrastructure provider Nscale has secured $1.1 billion in a Series B funding round, marking the largest such investment in UK and European history. The financing was led by Norwegian investment company Aker ASA, with continued support from existing shareholders including Sandton Capital, and participation from Blue Owl Managed Funds, Dell, Fidelity Management & Research Company, G Squared, Nokia, NVIDIA, Point72 and T.Capital.

The oversubscribed funding round will accelerate Nscale's expansion across Europe, North America, and the Middle East. The capital injection follows recent announcements of Nscale's UK AI infrastructure commitment with Microsoft, NVIDIA, and OpenAI, as well as the Nscale-Aker ASA joint venture that includes Stargate Norway and a multi-billion-dollar agreement with Microsoft. The company plans to use the funds to roll out its "AI factory" data centers for projects like Stargate UK and Stargate Norway.

Aker ASA injected $285 million in cash and assets, taking a 9.3% stake in Nscale, with a potential future earn-out that could increase Aker's ownership to 12.2%. The Norwegian group also noted that its 50% stake in the Aker-Narvik joint venture can be converted into additional Nscale shares at a future initial public offering. This significant investment comes as OpenAI announced in July it would build its first European data center in Norway's Arctic city of Narvik, jointly with Nscale and Aker.

Headquartered in the UK and operating globally, Nscale provides vertically integrated computing, networking, storage, managed software, and AI services delivered through its owned and collocated data centers. The company's full-stack, GPU-first model positions it to capitalize on the growing demand for AI-native infrastructure as industries worldwide accelerate their adoption of artificial intelligence technologies.

Casper Ruud captured the Stockholm Open title with a commanding 6-3, 6-2 victory over Ugo Humbert in a final that lasted just 68 minutes. The Norwegian second seed dominated throughout the match, dropping only two points on his serve in the first set and just one point in the second set. After breaking Humbert early in both sets, Ruud comfortably served out the match to claim his second title of 2025, following his earlier Masters 1000 victory in Madrid.

The victory came amid growing concerns about player welfare on the ATP Tour, highlighted by Holger Rune's season-ending injury during the tournament's semifinals. Rune had started strongly in Stockholm, reaching the semifinal round with victories over Marton Fucsovics and Tomas Martin Etcheverry before suffering a torn Achilles tendon that forced his withdrawal from the match against Humbert. The injury abruptly ended Rune's season, preventing his potential qualification for the season finale.

Ruud addressed the injury concerns in post-match comments, expressing frustration with the demanding tournament schedule. "It's very demanding when you go directly from tournament to tournament," Ruud stated. "Holger was in Shanghai last week, and when something is so demanding, something like this can unfortunately happen. We're all in some kind of risk zone when we step onto the pitch." The Norwegian added that while he couldn't confirm a direct connection between Rune's injury and the schedule, "in a way, all injuries are probably because of the tough schedule."

The concerns about player workload extend beyond Ruud's comments, with world No. 9 Jack Draper recently requesting the ATP Tour to reassess its packed calendar. Players have emphasized the need for a more manageable schedule to ensure long and healthy careers. Ruud acknowledged the physical demands, noting that players are "really pushing our own limits at the moment" and expressing sympathy for Rune's unfortunate situation while wishing him a speedy recovery.