The U.K. government has announced its plans to invest £225 million, equivalent to $273 million, in an artificial intelligence supercomputer, as the country aims to establish itself as a leader in the field and catch up with the U.S. and China. The supercomputer, named Isambard-AI after the renowned British engineer Isambard Brunel, will be built by the University of Bristol. The announcement coincides with the U.K.’s ongoing AI safety summit at Bletchley Park.
Once completed, Isambard-AI will become the most advanced computer in the country, boasting a speed “10 times faster than the U.K.’s current quickest machine.” The supercomputer will be equipped with 5,448 GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, which are powerful AI chips manufactured by U.S.-based semiconductor giant Nvidia.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the American IT company, will collaborate on building the supercomputer and plans to connect it to another newly announced supercomputer called Dawn, developed by Dell and U.K. firm StackPC. Dawn will utilize over 1,000 Intel chips that incorporate water-cooling technology to reduce power consumption. It is expected to be operational within the next two months.
The objective of combining these two supercomputers is to achieve groundbreaking advancements in fusion energy, healthcare, and climate modeling. The U.K. government aims to have both machines fully operational by summer 2024. They will play a crucial role in analyzing advanced AI models, testing safety features, and driving breakthroughs in drug discovery and clean energy.
This investment follows the U.K. government’s previously allocated £1 billion in support of the semiconductor industry. The goal is to secure the country’s chip supplies and reduce its dependence on East Asia for critical microchips.
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