Crusoe, the Denver-based AI cloud firm once known for powering Bitcoin mining with stranded gas, is deepening its European roots—this time with hydro instead of hydrocarbons. The company has secured a 12MW facility in Norway through a new partnership with emerging data center developer Polar, marking Crusoe’s first foray into mainland Europe.
Crusoe’s move is a calculated play for serious wattage. Norway’s hydroelectric grid gives them a legit low-carbon power source, which is a big deal if you’re trying to keep regulators and eco-watchdogs off your back. The new facility can ramp up to 52MW, signaling they’re not just dipping their toes in—they’re setting up for some serious scaling in the region.
Polar, a relative newcomer in the European infrastructure space, is quietly assembling a portfolio of AI-optimized data centers. The facility Crusoe is leasing is likely Polar’s DRA01 site, which has 12MW ready and another 36MW in the pipeline. Both companies see this alliance as more than a tenant-landlord arrangement—it’s a strategic alignment on sustainability and performance in AI computing.
Crusoe’s no rookie when it comes to scaling operations. The company’s infrastructure already powers some of the biggest names in the game—OpenAI, Oracle, CoreWeave, you name it. As demand for GPU-heavy workloads explodes, especially for AI applications that can’t tolerate lag or carbon bloat, Crusoe’s expansion into Norway isn’t just a geographical play—it’s strategic.
While a lot of U.S. cloud providers are still wrestling with Europe’s maze of regulations and energy hurdles, Crusoe’s Norway move looks like a calculated pivot toward cleaner, more distributed, and politically stable cloud infrastructure. The company’s not stopping there, either: with new sites planned for Texas and Alberta, the Norway launch signals a commitment to high-performance AI infrastructure that’s also built for sustainability. They’re clearly betting on both tech horsepower and green ops for the long term.
