Fidji Simo Joins Nscale Board as AI Data Center Startup Prepares for Potential $3 Billion IPO

Fidji Simo has joined Nscale Global Holdings’ board as the UK-based AI data center company prepares for a potential US initial public offering. Her appointment adds an executive with experience across OpenAI, Meta and Instacart to a board being assembled ahead of a planned public-market debut.

Simo joins former Meta chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, former Yahoo chair Susan Decker and former Meta executive Nick Clegg. The board’s composition gives Nscale a group with experience in consumer technology, corporate governance, communications and public-company preparation. TechCrunch said Simo left OpenAI in July after serving as CEO of AGI Deployment, a role that made her one of the company’s top executives.

Simo brings direct IPO experience from Instacart, which went public in 2023. That background matters as Nscale prepares for the scrutiny attached to a public listing, including financial disclosure, governance standards, investor messaging and the challenge of explaining a capital-intensive infrastructure business to shareholders.

Her OpenAI role also ties Nscale’s board to the customer base driving demand for AI computing capacity. Nscale is building data center infrastructure for workloads that require large amounts of processing power, while its new directors bring experience from companies shaping the software and model economy that consumes that capacity. Bloomberg described the appointment as part of Nscale’s effort to strengthen its directors ahead of an IPO.

Nscale is reportedly seeking an IPO valuation of up to $3 billion in the United States, with a listing discussed for September or later this fall. The figure remains a reported target rather than a completed transaction, and the timing depends on market conditions, regulatory filings and investor demand.

The reported offering places Nscale among AI infrastructure companies seeking public capital as demand for data centers, specialized computing and power-intensive AI operations expands. Bloomberg reported the potential $3 billion offering, while Silicon.co, Saasrise and Dealroom also described Nscale as preparing for a US listing. Their accounts frame the move as part of a broader rush by AI data center businesses toward public markets.

AI data centers have become a major investment theme because model training and inference require concentrated computing capacity, reliable power and specialized facilities. Companies operating in the sector face large construction and equipment costs, but a public listing can provide access to capital for expansion and give early investors a path to liquidity.

That opportunity comes with financial and operational pressure. Nscale would need to show that customer demand supports the cost of building facilities, securing power and acquiring high-end computing equipment. Investor attention will also focus on utilization rates, customer concentration, financing needs and the pace at which new capacity becomes productive. Leverageshares highlighted the risks investors should examine around the proposed offering, while the IPO reports emphasized the size of the ambition.

Simo’s career gives Nscale a director who has operated across social media, consumer apps, grocery delivery and frontier AI. She led Instacart through its 2023 IPO and previously held senior responsibilities at Meta before joining OpenAI. At OpenAI, she focused on deploying artificial general intelligence, according to TechCrunch.

CNBC reported that Simo stepped down from OpenAI because of a chronic illness and became an adviser. Business Insider separately focused on her work to make OpenAI profitable. Those developments place her Nscale appointment in the context of a recent transition from operating leadership to board and advisory roles, while retaining a connection to the commercial demands of large-scale AI.

Nscale’s next test is turning IPO preparation into a filed and executed offering. A board appointment signals preparation, but it doesn't establish that a listing will proceed at the reported valuation or timetable. The company will need to disclose its financial performance, funding structure, facilities, customers and expansion plans before investors can assess the business in detail.

Simo’s appointment gives Nscale added public-company and AI operating experience as it approaches that stage. The proposed listing will also test whether public investors are willing to value data center builders on the growth expectations attached to AI while accounting for the heavy infrastructure spending those expectations require.