AI & Work
Nvidia-backed data center developer Nscale is negotiating a second large computing deal with Anthropic, one that could be worth about $45 billion, Bloomberg News reported Monday, Oct. 19, according to Reuters. The talks are not a signed agreement: a person familiar with the matter told Reuters that discussions were ongoing and that the plan could change, and Anthropic did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The deal under discussion would cover a second building at Nscale’s Monarch data center campus in Mason County, West Virginia. According to the source cited by Reuters, that building would deliver 460 megawatts of computing power using Nvidia’s Vera Rubin AI chips. Anthropic also holds a right of first refusal on Monarch’s expected third building, the source said.
What already exists, and what is new
This would not be the first agreement between the two companies. Reuters reports that in August Anthropic agreed to spend $45 billion renting AI cloud computing power from the same campus. Bloomberg first reported that arrangement on Aug. 26, describing it as roughly $45 billion over six years for about 460 megawatts in the first of three planned buildings, with the Vera Rubin chips beginning to come online late next year, according to coverage of that report by TNW. Microsoft had signed a letter of intent for the same site in March before withdrawing over the summer, TNW reported.
What is new on Oct. 19 is the reported negotiation over a second building of similar size and value. If completed, it would roughly double Anthropic’s reported commitment at Monarch. Until either company confirms terms, the second deal remains a report about talks.
Nscale’s growth has depended heavily on a few large customers. Reuters reports that the company’s total contracted value rose from $100 million to more than $103 billion in two and a half years, and that its prospectus names Microsoft and Anthropic as expected major customers. Reuters also noted that Microsoft pulled out of a deal to anchor a flagship Nscale data center after power connection delays pushed the expected supply date into the 2030s.
Market backdrop
The talks come amid closer scrutiny of debt-funded AI infrastructure. Shares of rival CoreWeave slumped last week on concerns about its $50 billion debt load, feeding a global selloff in AI stocks, Reuters reported. Bloomberg also reported that some investors had urged Anthropic to lower its target valuation for an initial public offering after those setbacks.
The jobs picture in Mason County
The reported negotiations include no hiring figures, and the dollar value of a computing lease does not translate into a number of jobs. The verified employment information about Monarch comes from the campus project itself, not from either Anthropic deal.
In April, Nscale’s chief power and energy officer, Dan Shapiro, told WSAZ that the campus’s first phase would bring 700 permanent jobs, alongside temporary construction work he said could last longer than usual because the project has four phases. WSAZ reported that the company planned to begin building this past summer and to be operational in the second half of 2027, on a site of more than 2,000 acres powered by its own microgrid rather than the main grid.
Hiring has already begun. On June 30, Nscale and contractors including Kiewit, Ames Construction, Boyd CAT, Apex, ERM, Rettew and Thrasher held a job fair at the former Mason County Armory north of Point Pleasant, seeking workers for construction and operations, including early-career and apprenticeship roles, The Herald-Dispatch reported. Marshall University, West Virginia University, Mountwest Community & Technical College and the Mason County Career Center took part to share training pathways, and Nscale said it was committed to hiring locally.
A second building would extend the campus build-out on paper. Whether it adds workers, and how many, would depend on a final contract, construction scheduling and the developer’s own hiring, none of which the reported talks establish.
Sources
- Reuters via WMBD, “Anthropic, Nscale in talks for new $45 billion AI cloud computing deal, Bloomberg News reports,” October 19, 2026. https://wmbdradio.com/2026/10/19/nscale-anthropic-in-talks-for-45-billion-cloud-computing-deal-bloomberg-news-reports/
- Reuters via Lufkin Daily News, “Nvidia-backed Nscale, Anthropic in talks for new $45 billion AI cloud deal, source says,” October 19, 2026. https://lufkindailynews.com/news_reuters/business/nvidia-backed-nscale-anthropic-in-talks-for-new-45-billion-ai-cloud-deal-source-says/article_550aaddc-0613-5bd5-a7f7-b3d4121eeccc.html
- TNW, “Anthropic signs $45B compute deal with Britain’s Nscale,” August 26, 2026. https://thenextweb.com/news/anthropic-nscale-45b-compute-deal-london-ipo
- WSAZ, “AI data center aims for 2027 launch, 700+ permanent jobs,” April 7, 2026. https://www.wsaz.com/2026/04/08/ai-data-center-aims-2027-launch-700-permanent-jobs/
- The Herald-Dispatch, “Data center developer to host job fair on June 30,” June 18, 2026. https://www.herald-dispatch.com/business/data-center-developer-to-host-job-fair-on-june-30/article_9ed56d05-191d-4a7e-89dd-37e4e7673874.html
Featured photo: West Virginia Route 62 (Viand Street) in Point Pleasant, Mason County, W.Va., July 24, 2017. Representative image; not the Monarch Compute Campus site. Photo: Famartin, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Cropped from the original.
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