Monarch Compute Campus in West Virginia will host Anthropic’s 460MW AI computing capacity under a reported $45 billion agreement. Anthropic will lease the capacity from Nscale for six years. The deal will support Anthropic’s expanding demand for computing infrastructure and frontier AI services. It also strengthens the commercial case for Nscale’s massive Mason County data center development.
Nscale plans to develop a 1.35GW AI data center at the Monarch Compute Campus. The wider development includes a planned 2GW natural gas power plant. The Financial Times reported an estimated $69 billion cost for the overall development.
The $45 billion figure relates to Anthropic’s six-year computing agreement. Therefore, it should not be presented as the construction cost of Monarch. Nscale separately identifies more than $20 billion in planned capital investment.
Monarch Compute Campus Advances Large-Scale AI Data Centre Construction
The Monarch Compute Campus occupies more than 2,250 acres in Mason County, West Virginia. Nscale acquired the site through its purchase of American Intelligence & Power Corporation in March 2026. Fidelis New Energy and 8090 Industries previously sponsored the development.
Nscale plans to build the campus specifically for large-scale artificial intelligence workloads. The company has designed Phase 1 to accommodate 1.35GW of AI computing capacity. Nscale targets delivery of Phase 1 by early 2028.
The campus also has a longer-term expansion pathway exceeding 8GW. That expansion could make Monarch one of America’s largest dedicated AI infrastructure developments.
Furthermore, Nscale has positioned onsite energy generation as a central part of the development. The campus will generate its electricity independently from the public grid. Caterpillar will provide onsite power generation equipment for the facility.
Nscale says the project represents the first state-certified AI micro grid in the United States. Its power system will support additional computing capacity as demand grows.
Virginia’s data center expansion also extends beyond the Monarch Compute Campus development. In Fredericksburg, Vantage Data Centers is developing its $2 billion VA4 campus with 192MW of capacity. The 82-acre project will include three data centres totaling nearly 929,000 square feet. Vantage expects to complete its first building in late 2027.
The VA4 development further highlights the rising demand for high-capacity digital infrastructure across Virginia and neighboring markets.
Monarch Compute Campus Builds Around Nvidia Vera Rubin Technology
The Anthropic agreement will cover Nvidia’s next-generation Vera Rubin processors. The systems are expected to become available at the campus from late 2027. Anthropic will access approximately 460MW under the reported six-year arrangement.
Nscale has already established another major capacity arrangement for Monarch. The company signed a letter of intent with Microsoft for up to 1.35GW. That deployment will use Nvidia Vera Rubin NVL72 systems.
The Microsoft deployment will arrive across multiple tranches beginning in late 2027. Nscale will construct and operate the supporting AI data center infrastructure.
Consequently, Monarch has attracted multiple major technology customers before reaching full Phase 1 delivery. The Anthropic agreement adds further demand to an already significant AI infrastructure pipeline.
The campus will also use closed-loop cooling systems during operations. Nscale says the system will avoid using municipal drinking water for cooling. Enclosed generators, mufflers, berms and sound barriers will also limit operational noise.
However, local concerns have emerged around construction noise and other community impacts. An EY assessment estimated 2,090 jobs from the development once operational. The report also projected $395 million in annual GDP contributions for Mason County.
Nscale recently announced a $500,000 investment in local STEM and skilled-trades education. The initiative will modernize school laboratories and workshops across Mason County.
The Anthropic agreement therefore adds a major commercial customer to the Monarch development. It also demonstrates the growing scale of infrastructure required to support frontier AI services.
Project Fact Sheet
Name: Monarch Compute Campus
Type: Artificial intelligence data center campus
Location: Mason County, West Virginia, United States
Developer: Nscale
Site area: More than 2,250 acres
Anthropic capacity: Approximately 460MW
Anthropic agreement value: Approximately $45 billion
Agreement duration: Six years
Phase 1 AI computing capacity: 1.35GW
Potential future capacity: More than 8GW
Planned onsite power capacity: 2GW
Power source: Natural gas generation
Reported overall development cost: Approximately $69 billion
Nscale planned capital investment: More than $20 billion
AI processor technology: Nvidia Vera Rubin
Expected Vera Rubin deployment: Late 2027
Phase 1 delivery target: Early 2028
Power infrastructure: State-certified AI microgrid
Grid connection: Independent onsite generation
Cooling technology: Closed-loop cooling
Microsoft capacity arrangement: Up to 1.35GW
Microsoft deployment technology: Nvidia Vera Rubin NVL72
Employment projection: 2,090 jobs
Projected annual Mason County GDP contribution: $395 million
Campus expansion strategy: Multi-phase development exceeding 8GW
Current status: Under development
Project Team
Developer: Nscale
Data center operator: Nscale
Project owner: Nscale
Previous project sponsor: Fidelis New Energy
Previous investment sponsor: 8090 Industries
Acquired project entity: American Intelligence & Power Corporation
AI technology partner: Nvidia
GPU technology provider: Nvidia
Power generation partner: Caterpillar
Anthropic computing customer: Anthropic
Microsoft computing customer: Microsoft
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