News · Yahoo Finance

Microsoft (MSFT) Withdraws From UK AI Data Center Project

Microsoft has withdrawn as anchor tenant from Nscale's planned AI data center in Loughton, Essex, citing power supply delays. The article says the site is not expected to receive sufficient grid power until the 2030s, far beyond Microsoft's planning horizon, so the company judged the power-access risk too high for its Azure plans. Nscale must now search for new hyperscale tenants for the site. The article notes Microsoft is already committing around US$175b to US$190b to 2026 infrastructure and has locked in a 1,100 MW power agreement with NiSource.

Summary written by Upside AI from the original article. Read the source for full details.

Read the original on Yahoo Finance ↗

Keywords

MSFTdata centerselectricityUK

Open a keyword to see other news on the same topic.

Related tickers and likely impact

MSFT

• Neutral

Microsoft

Relevance: low

MarketUS stocks
SectorInformation Technology
IndustrySystems Software
Market cap$4.0T
Close on 10/20/2026532.13
Change that session-0.26%
MSFT price, forecasts and signals →

Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.

Related news

  • Microsoft Walks Away From Nscale’s UK Data Center as the Grid Runs Out of Power

    According to Reuters citing The Telegraph, Microsoft (MSFT) has withdrawn from an AI data center in Loughton, Essex that Nscale was building for it, though no reason was given. Grid officials reportedly told Nscale power would not be available until the 2030s, and Nscale says it remains committed to the site and is exploring other power sources. The site was planned to house about 23,000 Nvidia chips, roughly 11.5% of a program of about 200,000 chips. Meanwhile, Microsoft's cash capex in the June quarter reached $35.80 billion, more than double the year-earlier figure. The article argues the problem is grid timing rather than AI demand, and Microsoft reports results on October 28.

    Yahoo Finance·▼ MSFTMSFTdata centerselectricity
  • Microsoft pulls out of Nscale U . K . data - center deal over power - supply issues

    Microsoft has withdrawn from a deal to lease capacity at Nscale's 50-megawatt Loughton data center in the U.K. because of power-supply issues, a setback as Nscale prepares to go public. The facility was to host about 23,000 Nvidia GB300 chips for Microsoft Azure and was expected to go live by the end of this year, but that timeline no longer holds due to challenges with the U.K. power grid. Microsoft says it remains committed to Nscale and that the decision relates to a single site, while Nscale says it is exploring alternative power sources and its relationship with Microsoft remains strong. The article notes that clients can pull out of deals when projects are delayed, threatening revenue. Nscale recently filed for a U.S. IPO and last month raised $3.36 billion through convertible loan notes in a pre-IPO round.

    livemint.com·▼ MSFTMSFTdata centersIPO
  • Microsoft (MSFT) Is Facing Fresh Regulatory Pressure

    Microsoft agreed a 20-year power supply deal with NiSource for 1,100 MW to serve its expanding AI data centers. Meanwhile, the UK Competition and Markets Authority is preparing to label parts of Microsoft's business software as having strategic market status, and Microsoft, Apple and Palantir face possible new US Congressional oversight and hearings on their partnerships and operations. The article says the power deal helps reduce execution risk for the roughly US$175b to US$190b of 2026 capex that Microsoft's investment narrative relies on, while the regulatory moves add political and regulatory risk. Key items to watch are future disclosures linking data center expansion and power contracts to AI and Azure usage, along with any quantified costs from UK rules or US hearings.

    Yahoo Finance·▼ MSFTMSFTdata centerselectricity
  • Microsoft Signs 1,100 MW Power Deal With NiSource Until 2048 as AI Spending Outruns the Grid

    NiSource (NI) announced a 20-year energy agreement with Microsoft starting in 2028, adding about 1,100 MW to its generation pool for an Indiana data-center campus, with Microsoft paying for all the generation and transmission needed to serve the site. That capacity is roughly what Microsoft brings online in a full quarter, while its cash capex grew from $23.9 billion in fiscal 2022 to $116 billion in fiscal 2026, almost five times as much. Much of that spending goes to short-lived CPUs and GPUs that earn nothing until power is available, and management expects the broader capex measure to grow again in fiscal 2027, starting with more than $50 billion in the September quarter. NiSource signed Alphabet and expanded its Amazon agreement in April, so three hyperscalers now have power deals with the same Indiana utility.

    Yahoo Finance·▲ MSFTMSFTdata centerselectricity
  • NiSource Expands Microsoft Power Deal, Projects $1.75B In Customer Savings

    NiSource (NI) announced a 20-year electricity agreement with Microsoft for its planned northwest Indiana campus, with service expected to begin in 2028. The company says its broader strategy could save existing NIPSCO electric customers about $1.75 billion over the life of data-center contracts, up from a previously announced $1.4 billion, or as much as $140 per customer annually. Through NiSource Generation Company (GenCo), about 1,100 MW of generation will be added, along with 600 MW of battery storage under a long-term tolling agreement, and Microsoft will fully fund the generation and transmission infrastructure. The project will also upgrade NIPSCO's transmission system to improve grid reliability and shield existing customers from data-center costs. NI shares rose 2.8% in premarket trading, and more details will come with the third-quarter earnings call on October 28.

    Yahoo Finance·▲ MSFTNiSourceelectricitydata centers
  • NiSource Signs 20-Year Microsoft Power Agreement for 1,100 MW Indiana Data Centre Campus

    NiSource (NYSE: NI) has signed a 20-year agreement with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) to supply about 1,100 MW of generation to a data centre campus in northwest Indiana, with service expected to start in 2028. Microsoft will fund all generation and transmission infrastructure through NiSource's subsidiary GenCo, structured so these costs are not passed on to existing NIPSCO customers. NiSource raised its projected customer savings from its data centre contracts to about $1.75 billion, up from $1.4 billion, and said savings could reach as much as $140 per existing customer annually, though these are projections, not guaranteed reductions. Separately, GenCo has contracted 600 MW of battery storage under a long-term tolling agreement with an affiliate of AGP Group. NiSource has not disclosed total capital expenditure, the storage duration, construction timing, or the agreement's financial contribution to earnings, and says more details will come with its third-quarter earnings call.

    Yahoo Finance·▲ MSFTMSFTNiSourceelectricity

Related markets

US stocks →

Latest news

  • Wallet Linked to Drift Exploit Sends $61 Million in Ethereum to Tornado Cash

    Wallets linked to Drift's April 1 exploit moved about 25,700 Ethereum, worth roughly $61.56 million, into the Tornado Cash mixer over about two hours on Tuesday. Arkham data shows 71 addresses tied to the attacker still hold 81,454 ETH, worth about $198.58 million, after an earlier 23,095 ETH transfer in July. The attacker gained admin powers, introduced a fake token and used it to borrow real liquidity from Drift's Solana vaults, in an exploit totaling $295 million. Drift opened claims for its DFX recovery token on Oct. 1, and early redeemers received roughly 0.0104 USDT per token, about a penny per dollar lost.

    Decrypt·▼ ETH/USDTcryptocybersecurityTornado Cash
  • Meta vs. Alphabet: Meta Is Better Built for AGI

    The Motley Fool compares Alphabet and Meta using its AIball scores, which measure how exposed a company is to AI and how much upside it has, and concludes Meta is better built for AGI. Roughly 98% of Meta's 2025 revenue came from ads that reach people while they chat or scroll, activities AI agents are unlikely to take over, and its average price per ad rose 12% in Q2 2026. Alphabet's search ads are more exposed because AI assistants can answer queries and act on them directly. However, Alphabet's TPU chips and Google Cloud, which brought in $20 billion in Q1 2026 and serve nine of the top 10 AI labs, give it a strong AI chokepoint position. Its cloud gains could still outweigh pressure on search ads if outside developers cannot get enough rival chips and power.

    Yahoo Finance·• GOOGL▲ METAMETAGOOGLartificial intelligence
  • Bitwise, Hyperliquid seek SEC rule changes for token trading, airdrops

    Bitwise Asset Management and the Hyperliquid Policy Center are urging the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revise its proposed crypto rules, seeking clearer guidance on how crypto assets are classified, how airdrops are treated, and how secondary-market trading works, as the public comment period closes. Bitwise wants a standard based on publicly available information to determine whether an asset falls under securities laws, along with clear rules on relying on issuers' Form TR filings. Hyperliquid asks the SEC to broaden its proposed safe harbor, protect airdrops that reward network participation, and clarify whether unregistered intermediaries or onchain protocols can facilitate token trading. In contrast, former SEC enforcement official John Reed Stark and scholar Lee Reiners urge withdrawing the proposal, arguing it exceeds the agency's statutory authority, weakens investor protections and could face immediate legal challenge. The SEC has not announced a timetable for a final decision.

    Cointelegraph·▲ HYPE/USDTcryptoregulationSEC
  • JPMorgan Nigeria Licence : US$37 . 5M Deposit With CBN

    Nigerian outlets reported on Tuesday that JPMorgan Chase deposited N50 billion (about US$37.5 million) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), one of the final requirements for its bid to obtain a merchant banking licence. Citing unnamed sources, the reports say JPMorgan hopes for approval by the end of 2026 or in early 2027, but the CBN has published no approval and JPMorgan declined to comment. A licence would let JPMorgan turn its Lagos representative office into a full unit offering lending, trade finance, payments and dollar loans to large companies. The deposit meets the capital requirement for a national merchant bank, though it does not by itself guarantee approval.

    riotimesonline.com·JPMorganbanksNigeria
  • Hedge funds emerge as winner of JP Morgan AM new …

    JPMorgan Asset Management raised its 10-to-15-year return forecast for diversified hedge funds by 140bp to 6.7%, the largest upgrade of any alternative asset class in its 31st annual Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions. Most of the increase comes from alpha, which rises from 2.4% to 3.9%, while beta slips from 2.9% to 2.8%. The firm cites higher rates boosting short-position carry, governments unlocking new capital pools, and more frequent policy catalysts creating relative value opportunities, though it admits part of the uplift reflects a methodology change. The report suggests that a 30% allocation to a blend of hedge funds, gold, infrastructure and transport can lift a 60/40 portfolio's Sharpe ratio by 22% as stock-bond correlation becomes less reliable. It also warns that manager dispersion remains elevated, so manager selection is vital.

    hedgeweek.com·• JPMJPMorganhedge fundsinvestment trusts
  • Wall Street diverges Tuesday , industrials advance , techs slip

    The S&P 500 closed at 7,712.75, up 0.29%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 531.39 points (1.02%) to 52,497.42 as industrials led the advance. The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.02% to 26,424.82 as tech stocks lagged, though AI shares firmed after recent sell-offs. Hyperscaler earnings are due in the coming weeks, and Direxion's Jake Behan says guidance on ROI, data centre spending and 2027 capex will be a key test for the AI trade. The US dollar weakened against major currencies, with GBP-USD up 0.57% to 1.3381 and EUR-USD up 0.21% to 1.1236. Most European benchmarks eased, with the FTSE 100 down 0.29%, while Asian markets diverged: the Nikkei 225 fell 1.30%, the Hang Seng dropped 1.32%, the KOSPI slid 3.73%, and Indonesia's IDX Composite jumped 5.65%.

    sanantoniopost.com·▼ QQQWall StreetUS dollarNasdaq

All news →

Get the briefing on Telegram or Zalo

Join the Upside Telegram channel or Zalo group for the Vietnam stocks and gold briefing at 8:00 and 19:00 (Vietnam time) on trading days, plus a weekly wrap on Saturday morning.