STOCKS | Nscale Targets $35 Billion IPO as West Virginia Data Center Faces Mounting Risks

Nscale is pursuing a $35 billion IPO as setbacks at its flagship West Virginia computing campus raise execution and financing risks. According to Sina Finance, the 2-gigawatt first phase of the Monarch computing campus is set to use 864 gas engines, after the project shifted away from its original hydrogen-powered plan. The 2,250-acre site is planned for up to 8 gigawatts, but has faced construction problems, local opposition and regulatory scrutiny, including stop-work orders and 10 violation notices related to stormwater controls. Anthropic has signed a $45 billion order for computing capacity at Nscale’s first West Virginia data center, accounting for more than 40% of the company’s $103 billion in contracted future revenue. Nscale disclosed in its IPO filing that funding for the facility has not been secured; Anthropic can terminate the agreement if financing is not obtained by the deadline. An Ernst & Young report commissioned by Nscale estimated that the campus’s first phase, including three data centers and 2 gigawatts of gas power, would cost $69.2 billion. A draft permit would allow the engines to emit 271 tons of formaldehyde annually at full capacity, while the facilities are expected to release 10 million tons of greenhouse gases each year. Nscale says the campus will operate at an average of about 55% of its permitted capacity and that its emissions controls can reduce actual emissions below federal standards. The project still requires a final state air permit and approval to fill wetlands and streams for additional data centers. Microsoft withdrew from a computing-capacity lease for a planned data center in Essex this month because the site is not expected to have power until the 2030s, increasing the importance of the West Virginia project to Nscale. The company reported revenue of $141 million and a net loss of $1 billion in the first half of 2026. Three people familiar with its financing plans said its IPO valuation target remains $35 billion, though one said a recent sell-off in the sector could reset valuations across the industry.