Bristol University has been awarded a groundbreaking £225m investment by the government to develop the United Kingdom’s most advanced supercomputer. The Isambard-AI, set to be ten times more powerful than the country’s current fastest supercomputer, aims to revolutionize scientific research across various fields.
The Isambard-AI will be utilized for scientific discovery in areas such as robotics, big data analysis, climate research, and drug development. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has been selected as the supplier for this ambitious project.
This significant funding is part of a larger £300m initiative to establish the national Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (AIRR). By making the UK a world leader in AI, the government aims to foster innovation and drive advancements in the field.
While commenting on this groundbreaking collaboration, Professor Simon McIntosh-Smith, Director of the Isambard National Research Facility at the University of Bristol, expressed immense enthusiasm, stating, “It’s awe-inspiring to be at the forefront of the AI revolution and to partner with industry leaders HPE and NVIDIA. Together, we will rapidly build and deploy large-scale research computing infrastructure, creating one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world.”
The Isambard-AI will feature 5,000 cutting-edge NVIDIA superchips and deliver an astounding capacity of 200 quadrillion calculations per second, thus presenting unprecedented opportunities for researchers and industries across the nation. It will be a vital platform for harnessing the immense potential of AI in critical areas, ranging from robotics to climate research.
As Science, Innovation, and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan emphasized during the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, the UK is committed to seizing the opportunity to become a world leader in AI while ensuring its safe and responsible adoption. This investment will provide British researchers and scientific talent with the necessary tools to gain deeper insights into this complex technology and drive progress in various domains.
FAQ:
Q: What is the Isambard-AI?
A: The Isambard-AI is a supercomputer project developed by Bristol University, set to be the most powerful supercomputer in the United Kingdom.
Q: What will the Isambard-AI be used for?
A: The Isambard-AI will be utilized for scientific research in fields such as robotics, big data analysis, climate research, and drug discovery.
Q: Who is the supplier for the Isambard-AI?
A: Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has been named as the supplier for the Isambard-AI.
Q: How fast will the Isambard-AI be?
A: The Isambard-AI will be capable of performing 200 quadrillion calculations per second.
Q: What is the purpose of the investment by the UK government?
A: The investment aims to establish the national Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (AIRR) and make the UK a world leader in AI.
Q: Who will benefit from the Isambard-AI?
A: Researchers and industries in the United Kingdom will have access to the Isambard-AI’s unprecedented computing power, driving advancements and innovation in various fields.