UK announces massive investment in AI supercomputing

Isambard-AI will be the most advanced computer in Britain

In a groundbreaking move to advance its AI capabilities, the UK government has announced a £225 million investment in the creation of Isambard-AI, a supercomputer poised to become one of the fastest in the world.

This supercomputer, to be constructed by the University of Bristol, will be the most advanced computer in Britain "10 times faster than the UK's current quickest machine."

Named after the renowned 19th-century British engineer Isambard Brunel, Isambard-AI will feature 5,448 GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, cutting-edge AI chips manufactured by the US semiconductor giant Nvidia.

With a processing capacity of over 200 petaflops, Isambard-AI will be able to perform a staggering 200 quadrillion calculations every second.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) will assist in the construction of the supercomputer.

There are plans to connect Isambard-AI with the newly announced Cambridge supercomputer, Dawn, which will be developed by Dell and the UK-based firm StackHPC.

Dawn will be powered by over 1,000 Intel chips equipped with water-cooling technology to reduce power consumption.

The two connected supercomputers are expected to be operational by the summer of 2024, and will provide researchers with access to resources with over 30 times the capacity of the UK's current largest public AI computing tools.

The Frontier AI Taskforce, chaired by Ian Hogarth, will receive priority access to these connected computing resources. This taskforce is focused on mitigating the risks associated with advanced forms of AI, including concerns related to national security, bioweapons and cyberattacks.

Additionally, the newly announced AI Safety Institute will leverage this resource to support its research on the safety of frontier AI models and provide critical analysis to inform government policies.

Scientists and researchers will use these supercomputers to analyse advanced AI models, test safety features, and drive breakthroughs in critical areas such as drug discovery, clean energy solutions, fusion energy, healthcare and climate modelling.

The investment is part of the UK government's ongoing efforts to enhance its capabilities in AI and supercomputing, enabling it to keep pace with global AI leaders, including the US and China.

In March, the government allocated £900 million towards the creation of an exascale supercomputer, in an effort to bolster the competitiveness of UK developers in the global market.

This major leap in computing power should have far-reaching implications for the country's research and innovation capabilities, as well as its competitiveness on the global stage in the field of AI.

The government's investment into the 'AI Research Resource' has been tripled, increasing from £100 million initially announced in March 2023 to £300 million.

The government previously announced £1 billion to support the domestic semiconductor industry, with an aim to ensure a reliable supply of microchips and reduce the country's reliance on East Asian sources.