Polar Data Centers and Crusoe announced on October 21, 2026 the expansion of their partnership in Norway, building on the successful deployment and operation of Crusoe's AI infrastructure at Polar's DRA01 facility in Tørdal.
DRA01 live and powering Crusoe Cloud
DRA01 is now live, providing 12 MW of IT capacity powered entirely by 100% hydroelectric energy, and is supporting Crusoe Cloud, Crusoe's AI cloud platform and AI services.
The facility combines modular infrastructure, advanced cooling technology, and resilient electrical systems designed around the requirements of the latest GPU deployments, according to the announcement.
Polar and Crusoe first announced their partnership around DRA01 in June 2025, and the move from initial deployment into stable operations marks an important milestone for the collaboration.
DRA02 to add 40 MW of liquid-cooled capacity
Building on the DRA01 deployment, the companies are expanding into DRA02, the next phase of Polar's Tørdal campus. The new facility, also powered by hydroelectric power, is expected to go live in late 2027 and is planned to deliver an additional 40 MW of critical, liquid-cooled IT capacity. Crusoe plans to deploy NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 at DRA02 to support the next phase of its AI cloud expansion in Norway.
The expansion significantly increases the scale available to support Crusoe Cloud's continued growth in Europe and beyond. Polar described the move as reflecting its approach of delivering initial capacity successfully, operating it reliably, and creating a platform that can scale as customers' requirements grow.
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Leadership comments
Andy Hayes, CEO of Polar, said: "Our ambition has always been to help our customers develop the future of AI, and our relationship with Crusoe is a great example of that in action. We've successfully delivered DRA01, Crusoe is live and operating in Norway, and we're now moving forward together with the next phase of our partnership."
He added that the expansion into DRA02 demonstrates the strength of the collaboration and the confidence that comes from successful delivery, saying it is about "creating the infrastructure, operational performance, and customer relationships that enable our customers to continue scaling."
Cully Cavness, Crusoe's Co-founder, President and Chief Strategy Officer, commented: "Our expansion with Polar in Norway lets Crusoe serve some of the world's most innovative companies with reliable access to Crusoe Cloud's AI cloud services. What makes Tørdal stand out is that it runs on 100% renewable hydroelectric power, the kind of innovative energy source that aligns with our value of bending the arc of energy towards sustainability. Polar has been a solid partner to help us scale our presence in Europe."
Industry recognition
The successful transition into live operations follows DRA01 being recognised as "Most Successfully Delivered Data Centre" at the Data Centre World Awards 2026, which the companies said highlights the quality and execution behind Polar's first major Norwegian deployment.
The move into DRA02 takes the relationship to its next stage and supports Polar's wider vision to accelerate AI infrastructure and create the platform customers need to develop the future of AI.
About the companies
Polar Data Centers is a European developer and operator of AI-ready data center infrastructure. The company develops and operates high-performance data centers optimised for AI and high-density computing workloads, building a growing European platform that combines renewable power, resilient design, high-density cooling capability, and a customer-led approach to development and operations.
Crusoe describes itself as the AI factory company, on a mission to accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence. The company provides AI infrastructure by harnessing large-scale energy sources, building AI-optimized data centers, and delivering an AI cloud platform.
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