U.K. to Invest £225 Million in Revolutionary AI Supercomputer Development

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The U.K. government made an announcement on Wednesday, revealing plans to infuse £225 million, equivalent to $273 million, into the development of an artificial intelligence supercomputer. This move underlines the nation’s determination to emerge as a frontrunner in AI technology, as it endeavors to narrow the gap with technological powerhouses like the U.S. and China.

The University of Bristol has been tasked with constructing this groundbreaking supercomputer, named Isambard-AI, as a tribute to the renowned 19th-century British engineer Isambard Brunel. This revelation coincided with the commencement of the U.K.’s AI safety summit, hosted at Bletchley Park.

The U.K. government anticipates Isambard-AI to become the most advanced computer in the country. Upon completion, it is projected to exhibit a processing speed that is “10 times faster than the U.K.’s current quickest machine.” Driving this impressive performance will be 5,448 GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, robust AI chips manufactured by the leading U.S. semiconductor company Nvidia, renowned for its expertise in high-performance computing applications.

Collaborating in the development process, the American IT giant Hewlett Packard Enterprise aims to establish connections between Isambard-AI and the newly unveiled Cambridge supercomputer, Dawn. This forthcoming computer, a joint effort between Dell and U.K.-based firm StackPC, will operate on over 1,000 Intel chips utilizing water-cooling mechanisms to curtail power consumption. Its operational launch is scheduled within the next two months.

With a vision to propel advancements in fusion energy, healthcare, and climate modeling, the U.K. government envisions that these combined supercomputers will revolutionize research outcomes.

The scheduled commencement for these cutting-edge machines is set for the summer of 2024. As per the government’s plan, they will aid researchers in evaluating sophisticated AI models, facilitating the testing of safety protocols, and driving breakthroughs in the realms of drug discovery and sustainable energy solutions.

In previous initiatives, the government had allocated £1 billion to bolster the semiconductor industry, aiming to secure the country’s chip supplies and minimize its reliance on East Asia for the most critical microchips.