Nscale adds OpenAI’s Fidji Simo to board ahead of US IPO

Nscale, the London-based AI infrastructure company with a $14.6 billion private valuation, has added Fidji Simo to its board of directors. Simo serves as CEO of AGI Deployment at OpenAI, making her one of the highest-profile executives to join the company’s governance structure as it prepares for a US initial public offering. Founded in 2024 by Josh Payne and Nathan Townsend, Nscale has moved from stealth mode to IPO track at a pace that makes most Silicon Valley growth stories look leisurely. A board built for Wall Street Simo joins a boardroom that already reads like a who’s who of Big Tech alumni. Earlier this year, Nscale brought on former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg and former Yahoo president Susan Decker. Nick Clegg, the former UK Deputy Prime Minister turned tech executive, also joined the board. Nscale is targeting a US IPO as early as September 2026, with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan advising on the offering. The company is simultaneously pursuing up to $3.5 billion in pre-IPO financing. That breaks down into roughly $1.5 billion in convertible notes and approximately $2 billion from Nvidia, which is both a strategic backer and a key supplier of the GPU hardware that powers Nsc...