Nscale, a full-stack AI cloud platform, appointed Fidji Simo, former CEO of AGI Deployment at OpenAI, to its Board of Directors effective immediately. The London-headquartered company aims to leverage her experience in scaling consumer technology products used by billions.

Strategic Appointment

Josh Payne, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nscale, highlighted Simo’s product leadership capabilities. He noted that few leaders understand the system demands of products at such scale, which aligns with Nscale’s infrastructure build-out. Payne stated the board was built deliberately with individuals possessing experience in scaling platforms to the largest in the world.

Simo commented on the importance of compute access for turning AI breakthroughs into products. She emphasized that the next generation of AI infrastructure will be won by companies integrating the entire stack, from physical infrastructure to usable software. "Nscale is building exactly that," she said.

Executive Background

Simo most recently served as CEO, AGI Deployment at OpenAI, leading business and product teams responsible for bringing research to users. She continues to serve as an advisor to the company. Prior to OpenAI, she was CEO and Chair of Instacart, where she led the company to profitability and through its public listing in 2023.

Her career includes a decade at Meta as Head of the Facebook App, overseeing News Feed, Video, Groups, Marketplace, and Ads. She began her career at eBay and currently serves on the board of directors of Shopify. Simo brings more than 20 years of experience across social, commerce, and artificial intelligence sectors.

Board Composition

Simo’s appointment follows the addition of Sheryl Sandberg, Susan Decker, and Nick Clegg to the Nscale Board earlier this year. Founded in 2024, Nscale designs, builds, and operates AI data centres while delivering GPU cloud services to AI labs and enterprises. The company has campuses under development in Norway and the United States.

AI cloud infrastructure firm Nscale is seeking $3.5 billion in pre-IPO financing as it prepares for a public listing. Bloomberg reports that the company also aims to secure about $2 billion of this capital specifically from NVIDIA.

The combined financing effort signals Nscale's strategic positioning in the AI cloud sector while securing substantial capital ahead of its market debut. The reported NVIDIA involvement highlights the critical role of chip partnerships in funding large-scale AI infrastructure projects.

Deal Structure

The proposed transaction involves a significant capital injection prior to the initial public offering. Key aspects of the financing include:

• Total Amount: $3.5 billion
• Stage: Pre-IPO
• Sector: AI Cloud
• Key Investor Target: NVIDIA ($2 billion)

This large-scale raise underscores the capital intensity of the AI cloud infrastructure sector. The specific aim to secure $2 billion from NVIDIA suggests a deepened commercial or financial tie with the chipmaker, though no further details regarding valuation or specific investor participation were disclosed in the report.