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.

A Swedish court has convicted six individuals for their involvement in the murder of a 41-year-old gang leader in the Berga district of Linköping during the summer of 2024. The Linköping District Court delivered verdicts in the case, which involved eight defendants originally charged with participation in the killing. The court established that the murder was carried out according to a criminal plan orchestrated by members of an organized crime network based in the Berga area.

The victim was fatally shot in a public space near Berga Church in Linköping on August 13, 2024. Multiple gunshots struck the man in his back and head during the daylight incident, which occurred near residential buildings and a playground. Several members of the public witnessed the shooting, adding to the evidence presented during the trial.

Court proceedings revealed that a 14-year-old boy fired the fatal shots that killed the gang leader. The teenager, who has admitted to the killing, was not prosecuted due to being below the age of criminal responsibility under Swedish law. Instead, prosecutors focused on the eight older individuals allegedly involved in planning and facilitating the murder, all of whom had denied the charges against them.

Evidence presented by prosecutors included extensive documentation of movement patterns through surveillance footage, GPS data from electric scooters, and mobile phone analysis. The court determined the victim had been lured to the crime scene under the pretense of a drug transaction, with communication occurring through a special Snapchat account and a dedicated mobile phone later found buried in nearby woods. Six of the eight defendants were found guilty, with two receiving life sentences for murder while others were convicted of aiding the killing.