Nscale adds former OpenAI exec Fidji Simo to its board ahead of potential IPO
U.K.-based AI data center startup Nscale has added former OpenAI executive Fidji Simo to its board as it prepares for a likely IPO this fall. Simo joins a board that already includes high-profile tech leaders as the company pursues large pre-IPO fundraising and rapid expansion of its AI infrastructure business.
Why It Matters
Simo brings executive experience scaling consumer platforms and guiding a company through an IPO—skills directly relevant to Nscale as it readies itself for public markets and seeks substantial pre-IPO capital. Her appointment signals the startup is assembling governance and operating expertise ahead of a major liquidity event.
Key Facts
- Appointment: Fidji Simo named to Nscale’s board
- Company: Nscale, U.K.-based AI data center startup
- Timing: Announcement posted September 11, 2026; appointment ahead of anticipated IPO this fall
- Board colleagues: Sheryl Sandberg, Susan Decker, Nick Clegg
- Simo role at OpenAI: Former CEO of AGI deployment; described as essentially the No. 2 executive; left in July citing health reasons; continues to advise part-time
Nscale, a two-year-old U.K. startup that designs, builds and operates AI data centers, has added Fidji Simo to its board as it prepares for a potential initial public offering later this fall. The appointment was disclosed as the company readies a larger governance team to guide its next phase of growth.
Simo joins Nscale after executive roles at OpenAI, Meta and Instacart. At OpenAI she served as CEO of AGI deployment and was widely regarded as the lab’s second-ranking executive before departing in July for health reasons; she remains involved with OpenAI in an advisory, part-time capacity. Earlier, Simo was chair and CEO of Instacart and led the company through its 2023 IPO, and she spent more than a decade at Meta, including leadership of the Facebook app. She is also a member of Shopify’s board.
Nscale’s founder and CEO, Josh Payne, said the company sought directors with experience scaling platforms to massive user bases and the operational rigor required at that size, and framed Simo’s background as relevant to those needs. The startup’s board already includes well-known tech figures such as Sheryl Sandberg, Susan Decker and Nick Clegg.
The company’s valuation has climbed rapidly since its founding amid strong demand for AI infrastructure. Bloomberg reported last week that Nscale is attempting to raise as much as $3.5 billion in advance of a planned IPO, citing unnamed sources, positioning the new board additions as part of a broader push to prepare for public markets.
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