GoKawiilNscale to house construction workers on former prison barge at Norway data center site
British data center developer Nscale is renting a vessel called The Kalmar, a three-story barge once used to detain migrants, to house hundreds of contract laborers building its 30-megawatt Glomfjord facility in Norway. The project is at least six months behind schedule after cooling system leaks, an electrical fire, and labor problems, with only 6.4 megawatts currently operational. Bloomberg reported that workers described long shifts with inadequate training and safety protocols, and that a Norwegian labor authority investigation found Nscale's personnel records incomplete, sometimes listing only a worker's first name.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The barge housing suggests the scale of labor shortages facing data center developers racing to meet AI infrastructure demand, especially in remote locations lacking sufficient local accommodation. The reported safety and recordkeeping lapses could draw further regulatory scrutiny in Norway and raise questions about oversight of contract labor across the booming data center construction industry more broadly.
- Nscale's Glomfjord data center is over six months behind schedule due to technical failures and labor issues.
- The company plans to house incoming contract workers on a former migrant-detention prison barge with 500 cots.
- A Norwegian labor inspection reportedly found incomplete personnel records and concerns over worker safety protocols.
Source: futurism.com — Joe Wilkins, 2026-10-20
Published there as: “Major Data Center Developer Rents Floating Prison Barge to House Contract Construction Workers”
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