Storage company DataDirect Networks (DDN) will supply its AI data platform to European data center business Polarise.

Polarise was founded last year by former Northern Data executives, with a plan to build “sovereign European AI factories.”

The company has yet to launch any data centers, but plans to open a 3,800 sqm (40,900 sq ft) data center at Gardermoen Airport in Oslo Airport City, Norway, known as AI Hub One.

Polarise’s chief content officer Marc Gazivoda told DCD that the company expects the data center to go live in Q4.

Polarise also plans to build several modular data centers in Germany, based on Nvidia reference architecture. Gazivoda told DCD that the company has “secured four strategic sites with a total capacity of well over 100MW throughout Germany.” He added: “It is our declared mission to bring first sites online starting as early as [the] beginning of next year so that AI innovation and adaptation in the country does not come to a halt.”

CEO Michel Boutouil and CTO Nicolas Kremer both previously worked for cryptominer Northern Data, which has since pivoted to also running AI/HPC workloads.

Both Boutouil and Kremer are founders of Bitvisor, a holding company backing Polarise that previously described itself as “an intelligent combination of the crypto markets’ core elements, backed by being 100 percent sustainable with a negative carbon footprint.”

Gazivoda said: “After a successful pre-seed funding with approximately €4 million ($4.6m), Polarise raised another €10m ($11.6m) in the course of its seed funding last year, mainly from a Luxembourg real estate fund. Polarise is currently preparing the Series A to raise further capital for faster and more efficient expansion in Germany and across Europe.”

Polarise includes other former Northern Data employees, while its head of finance previously worked at Telegram-based memecoin platform Flooz.

“Our collaboration with Polarise represents a major step forward in democratizing AI infrastructure for Europe,” said Paul Bloch, president and co-founder of DDN.

“By combining DDN’s unparalleled AI data platform with Polarise’s innovative approach to AI factories and cloud delivery, we are enabling customers to power their AI ambitions responsibly and without compromise.”

Kremer added: “This partnership allows us to bring best-in-class storage and data intelligence from DDN into our ecosystem.

“Together, we’re creating Europe’s answer to the age of AI – an agile, sovereign, and sustainable infrastructure that challenges outdated industry norms.”