The KNW (KNMI North Sea Wind) atlas is based on the ERA-Interim reanalyses dataset which captures more than 40 years (January 1979 - August 2019) of meteorological measurements and generates 3D wind (temperature, etc) fields consistent with these measurements and the laws of physics. This dataset is downscaled using the state-of-the-art weather forecasting model, HARMONIE with a horizontal grid of 2.5 km. The vertical profile of wind speed was calibrated against the 200 m tall Cabauw measurement mast to obtain a single wind shear correction coefficient which was applied throughout the whole dataset. The result is a high resolution dataset of more than 40 years: the KNW dataset. The first 35 years of the time series 1979-2013 are available in another dataset within the KNMI data centre.