All posts by Margrethe Harboe

Regjeringen vil ha en full gjennomgang av behovet for arbeidsinnvandring

Vi må forvente økende knapphet på arbeidskraft og arbeidsinnvandrere er et viktig supplement til arbeidstakere i Norge. Samtidig kan det bidra til større sårbarhet i norsk økonomi. Nå settes ned et utvalg for å se på erfaringene i Norge og andre land, og vurdere eventuelle endringer i dagens politikk.

– Vi setter nå ned et utvalg for å analysere arbeidsinnvandringens betydning for det norske arbeidslivet og samfunnet. Utvalget skal også foreslå mulig ny politikk slik at vi i fremtiden sikrer at Norge har den arbeidskraften vi trenger, samtidig som vi klarer å inkludere flere av dem som står utenfor arbeidslivet, sier arbeids og inkluderingsminister Kjersti Stenseng.

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Datasenterpionerene Byrne Murphy og William Conway: – Vender tilbake til Norden for å utvikle mer enn 500 megawatt datasenterinfrastruktur med banebrytende bærekraftig design

28. april 2026 – Oslo/Bergen/Washington, DC – Datasenterpionerene Byrne Murphy og William E. Conway, Jr., som bygget DigiPlex i Norge og Norden til en portefølje på åtte datasentre og solgte selskapet i 2021, har vendt tilbake til Norge og etablert Kitebrook Infra for å bygge mer enn 500 megawatt datasenterinfrastruktur ved hjelp av et banebrytende bærekraftig design som kan spare hundrevis av millioner euro i investeringskostnader (CAPEX).

Kitebrook Infra bygger videre på DigiPlex-arven
Kitebrook adresserer ved lanseringen flaskehalsen som bremser bransjens utvikling: den akutte mangelen på ferdigregulerte tomter med strømtilgang, nødvendige reguleringer, tillatelser og signerte kraftavtaler som muliggjør umiddelbar byggestart. Samtidig tilbyr Kitebrook et banebrytende design for renere og mer bærekraftige datasentre som er langt rimeligere å bygge.

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Nyheter fra Coca-Cola denne våren

Coca-Cola lanserte i april tre nye varianter av sine merkevarer. Sportsdrikken Powerade kommer i en sukkerfri sitronvariant i forbindelse med FIFA World Cup. Sprite lanserer Chill-plattformen, med smak av mint og en kjølende ingrediens som gir en frysende effekt – denne er også sukkerfri. Og Fanta kommer med Crimson-Cherry, med smak av eple og kirsebær, i et samarbeid med Xbox.

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Exploring Strategic Opportunities in the High North

Exploring Strategic Opportunities in the High North

AmCham Norway, in partnership with the US Commercial Service, recently completed a four-stop commercial delegation through Northern Norway, bringing together member firms including Lockheed Martin, Fossefall, Motorola Solutions, Shield AI, and KSAT to explore the region’s strategic industries and opportunities.
The delegation began at Evenes, where the Royal Norwegian Air Force briefed AmCham and the US Embassy on manpower, equipment including P-8 Poseidons, security considerations, and the base’s growing role as a critical hub in the High North.

From Evenes, the wider group convened at Andøya Space, Norway’s national space center. Founded in 1962 as a scientific rocket launch site, Andøya has since grown into a 200-person research and development facility with four divisions spanning suborbital science, defense, space education, and orbital launch services. The delegation noted the center’s longstanding ties to NASA and US educational institutions, its hardware testing capabilities, and its ambition to position Norway as a leading European spaceport.

Top l-r: Visit to Olavsvern with WilNor Governmental Services; presentations at KSAT's Svalbard Ground Station; briefing at Evenes Air Base with the Royal Norwegian Air Force; and site visit to Andøya Space, Norway’s national space center

In Tromsø, the delegation visited WilNor Governmental Services at Olavsvern, a former NATO mountain facility now providing logistics services to Norwegian and allied forces. The group also engaged with Norinnova, one of Northern Norway’s leading innovation environments, and heard from the Arctic University of Norway on dual-use research and Arctic advantages. The day concluded at the American Presence Post, where roundtable discussions on energy and regional defense industry underscored Northern Norway’s energy strengths and the importance of collaboration between large firms and SMEs in supporting national resilience.

The delegation concluded in Svalbard with a visit to KSAT‘s Svalbard Ground Station, the world’s largest and best-positioned commercial ground station. Located at 78 degrees north, the facility enables full coverage of sun-synchronous orbits and supports applications ranging from weather monitoring and Earth observation to search and rescue and maritime safety. With 170 antenna systems and more than 300,000 satellite passes per month, SvalSat plays a foundational role in global space infrastructure.

The delegation returned with a clear message: Northern Norway is a region of considerable strategic and commercial importance, with world-class capabilities in defense, space, energy, and Arctic innovation.

Flere søker seg til NMBU

– Det er gledelig å se at mange har NMBU som førstevalg, og at veksten kommer bredt på tvers av fagmiljøene våre, sier prorektor for utdanning Elin Kubberød.

Ved søknadsfristen i Samordna opptak hadde 3 926 søkere NMBU som førstevalg, en økning på 3,8 prosent fra i fjor.

Totalt har 12 487 personer søkt studieplass ved NMBU, mot 11 797 på samme tid i fjor.

Bred økning på tvers av fagområder

Ifølge Kubberød er det særlig positivt at utviklingen er bred, etter flere år med varierende søkning.

– Vi ser en tydelig og bred interesse for NMBUs utdanninger på tvers av både natur- og samfunnsvitenskap. Det tyder på at mange unge opplever studiene våre som attraktive og med høy kvalitet.

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ODEON Kino (m/ Bonaventura Sales) er vinnerne av Sponsor- og Eventprisen 2026 for Årets B2B Event

Høyere nivå enn noen gang – se vinnerne av Sponsor- og Eventprisen 2026.

Torsdag 23. april samlet bransjen på Carls i Oslo for Sponsor- og Eventprisen 2026 – en hel dag fylt med innsikt, inspirasjon og feiring av de beste casene i Norge.

Gjennom dagen presenterte de nominerte sine caser live foran jury og publikum, før vinnerne til slutt ble kåret under kveldens prisutdeling. Med rekordmange innsendte bidrag og et nivå som fortsetter å heve seg år for år, ble konkurransen både hard og spennende i flere kategorier.

Vinner av årets B2B Event: Bonaventura Sales, med ODEON Kino.

Juryens begrunnelse:
Vinneren av årets B2B Event går til et case som virkelig traff – og utløste effekt med et smart, modig og vågalt konsept. Juryen er imponert over hvordan vinner med en leken tone, mye glid og null frykt for å bli litt klein, traff både målgruppe og beslutningstakere midt i markeds- g-punktet. De gjorde et lavinteresseprodukt til noe folk faktisk stilte seg i kø for, bokstavelig talt. Og viktigst: det ga ikke bare oppmerksomhet, men ekte penetrasjon i markedet.

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Regjeringen møtte næringslivet om økende handelspolitiske utfordringer

Næringsminister Cecilie Myrseth og utenriksminister Espen Barth Eide møtte fredag 17. april representanter fra norsk næringsliv for å drøfte den aktuelle handelspolitiske situasjonen. Møtet ble holdt i lys av utviklingen i både USA og EU, og hadde som mål å samle innspill til hvordan norske interesser best kan ivaretas.

– Krig og handelspolitisk turbulens internasjonalt skaper både utfordringer og usikkerhet for norsk næringsliv. Som næringsminister er det viktig for meg å ha tett kontakt med berørte bedrifter, næringslivsorganisasjonene, arbeidslivets parter og virkemiddelapparatet om utviklingen, slik at vi kan ivareta norske interesser på best mulig måte, sier næringsminister Cecilie Myrseth.

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TGS Announces Extension to Multi-Year Ocean Bottom Node Contract

OSLO, Norway (20 April 2026) – TGS, a leading global provider of energy data and intelligence, today announces that the ongoing multi-year proprietary Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) acquisition contract in the Gulf of America has been extended for an additional 3-year duration.

Kristian Johansen, CEO at TGS, commented, “This continuation of a long-term commitment from a major producer in the Gulf of America and strategic customer reflects our unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence and highlights our ability to adapt to evolving industry priorities. Through our continued service quality and commitment to operating safely and sustainably, we will continue to support the industry to maximise the potential of existing developments.”

More information.

Microsoft contracts 30,000 GPUs from Nscale at Norway data center as OpenAI drops out of latest Stargate

Microsoft and Nscale have expanded their partnership with a further 30,000 Nvidia Rubin GPUs set for a data center in Narvik, Norway.

Revealed by the companies on April 14, the additional compute capacity will be delivered in 2027.

Arkon Nscale Glomfjord norway
Nscale’s operating data center in Glomfjord, Norway.
– Arkon Energy | Nscale
The GPUs will be housed at a 230MW data center in Kvandal, outside Narvik, northern Norway.

The site is being developed under the Aker Nscale joint venture, and was previously set to be home to OpenAI for the AI company’s “Stargate” Norway location.

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AmCham Annual General Meeting & Transatlantic Assembly 2026

AmCham Annual General Meeting & Transatlantic Assembly 2026

Managing Director Jason Turflinger welcomed attendees to AmCham’s 2026 Annual General Meeting, warmly hosted by KPMG. He presented the organization’s non-profit results, highlighting that AmCham remains on solid footing with growing engagement across initiatives. This momentum has strengthened AmCham’s capacity, including the recent expansion to five full-time staff, a first in the organization’s 68-year history.

AmCham Chair Ketil Nordengen (3M) emphasized the importance of strong member engagement and cross-industry collaboration in an increasingly complex transatlantic landscape. Nordengen said that when conditions shift and evolve, trusted networks, credible information, and public-private partnerships become strategic necessities. Guided by this understanding, AmCham works to ensure our members have the clarity needed to act with confidence in times of uncertainty.

 

A Renewed AmCham Board of Directors

Nominees for AmCham’s Board of Directors were announced, with Emma Cerrone, Managing Director at MSD Norway, and Gustav Saastad, VP & Head of Group Government Affairs at Hydro, confirmed and warmly welcomed. The renewed Board of Directors boasts extensive international and cross-industry expertise, well positioned to support and advance AmCham’s key pro-business initiatives. On behalf of the Nominating Committee, Turflinger also recognized Andreas Berg, Managing Director of Tailormade Consulting, for his longstanding and dedicated service as AmCham’s current longest-serving board member.

AmCham Board Vice Chair Charlie Lea, KPMG, was also acknowledged for generously hosting the AGM and Assembly at their new Bjørvika office, and for his and KPMG’s longstanding support.

Chair Ketil Nordengen
AmChamAGM2026-6 - Copy
AGM Participants

Navigating Noise and Reality in Transatlantic Business

Following the AGM, the Transatlantic Assembly focused on noise vs. actual business impacts, short vs. long-term strategies, rapid technological change, and a shifting global economic and competitive landscape. KPMG Norway’s CEO Rune Skjelvan provided opening remarks, followed by keynotes from members and partners.

Jonas Erraia, partner at Menon Economics, presented key insights from the updated US Companies in Norway report. The most recent edition shows 487 active US entities in Norway, employing nearly 49,000 people across industries – with Petroleum, Healthcare, and ICT leading in scale. Erraia noted that, compared to other countries, US companies stand out for their productivity, significant contributions to GDP, and role as the second largest foreign employer. These contributions, Erraia emphasized, are important to keep in mind when assessing the value of the broader trade relationship.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eivind Vad Petersen, followed with a keynote on the government’s views on the current trade and geopolitical environment, outlining key challenges, opportunities, and priorities in the years ahead. He emphasized the importance of the bilateral relationship between the US and Norway, and the enduring ties that have created a wealth of opportunities for both sides.

Graham Harlow, Chargé d’affaires a.i. at the US Embassy, reaffirmed the strength of that relationship, highlighting Norway’s role as a key partner in areas such as defense, energy, and critical minerals. Harlow also underscored the value of sustained dialogue and encouraged continued engagement from AmCham members.

Stian Jenssen, Director of Government Affairs and International Relations at Aker, then offered a broader perspective, drawing on his experience from both NATO and the private sector. Through concrete examples, he addressed how to navigate uncertainty, noting that while the current environment presents real challenges, it also opens new opportunities for those willing to adapt and invest.

Photos: Traci Amadi-Knudsen

Panelists
AmCham Managing Director Jason Turflinger and panelists

The subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Turflinger and joined by Anne Sveeaas, Country Director at Johnson & Johnson Norway, brought together frank perspectives from both business and government.

Panelists highlighted that transatlantic trade and investment remain robust despite political turbulence, pointing to the underlying strength of economic ties. At the same time, discussions reflected a growing focus on resilience, through diversification of supply chains, strategic infrastructure investment, and a more deliberate approach to managing risk and dependency. This was particularly evident in conversations addressing technology and energy systems.

There was broad recognition that while conversations around sovereignty and strategic autonomy are becoming more prominent, close transatlantic collaboration continues to be essential. Norway’s position as a stable, innovative, and resource-rich partner was emphasized as a key advantage in an increasingly competitive global landscape. The importance of talent mobility, cross-border cooperation, and continued engagement between public and private stakeholders was also highlighted as critical to sustaining long-term competitiveness.

Rounding out the panel, Turflinger invited the speakers to reflect on whether they found inspiration in the then ongoing NASA Artemis II space mission. Panelist responses highlighted themes of international collaboration, public-private partnership, and cross-industry shared ambition.

The meetings were adjourned with a reception at the KPMG rooftop, with appetizers and California wines enjoyed in the late afternoon sun. A warm thank you to all contributing hosts, members, partners and panelists for your candid engagement and support!