\u00a336 million investment to increase the AI Research Resource supercomputing capacity at Cambridge sixfold by spring 2026
\n Cambridge, already home to DAWN – one of the UK\u2019s most powerful AI supercomputers – will have more cutting-edge AI chips available free of charge to UK researchers and start-ups
\n The DAWN supercomputer is already helping to deliver breakthroughs in areas like healthcare and environmental modelling<\/p>\n
British researchers and tech start-ups will get a major boost to develop the AI tools of the future, as the government injects \u00a336 million to increase the power of one of the UK\u2019s leading supercomputing centres sixfold (Monday 26 January).\u00a0<\/p>\n
The investment builds on Cambridge\u2019s position at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor \u2013 one of Europe\u2019s most important centres for science, technology and innovation, home to globally-leading universities, research institutions, and fast-growing tech companies.<\/p>\n
This includes backing a new National Computational Resource supercomputer at Cambridge, even further enhancing the compute power available to UK scientists.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Home to the DAWN supercomputer, the University of Cambridge is already part of the AI Research Resource (AIRR) \u2013\u00a0a national programme that gives free access to the kind of high-powered computing usually only available to the world\u2019s biggest tech companies.<\/p>\n
Already the supercomputer is having a real-world impact, having supported over 350 projects. Scientists have been using it to develop AI tools that could speed up personalised cancer vaccines, working out exactly which parts of a tumour the immune system needs to target. Others are using it to better understand the changing environment.<\/p>\n
This extra AI computing power will kick in as early as Spring 2026 and will help create everyday benefits like:<\/p>\n
faster, more accurate tools that help doctors spot diseases much earlier
\n smarter technology that cuts waiting times and makes public services easier to use
\n better climate modelling to help communities prepare for extreme weather<\/p>\n
For the first time, UK researchers using AIRR will also get access to AMD Instinct\u2019s latest MI355X GPUs \u2013 some of the most advanced in the world \u2013 integrated by Dell Technologies, who supply the supercomputer infrastructure, and highly innovative UK AI software stack supplied by UK SME StackHPC. That means bigger datasets, more ambitious ideas and entirely new types of projects that weren\u2019t possible before.<\/p>\n
Minister for AI Kanishka Narayan, said:<\/p>\n
The UK is home to world-class AI talent, but too often our ambitious researchers and most promising start-ups have been held back by a lack of access to the computing power they need.<\/p>\n
This investment changes that \u2013 giving British innovators the tools to compete with the biggest players and develop AI that improves lives, from spotting diseases earlier to helping communities prepare for extreme weather, right across the country.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s announcement also strengthens the UK\u2019s computing resilience by diversifying the types of technology our national infrastructure relies on.<\/p>\n
Professor Sir John Aston, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, University of Cambridge:<\/p>\n
This investment marks an important milestone for the UK\u2019s AI Research Resource, expanding the power of Cambridge\u2019s DAWN supercomputer and strengthening our national computing ecosystem. It will give researchers, clinicians and innovators the tools they need to drive breakthroughs that improve public services.<\/p>\n
The University of Cambridge is proud to work with industry leaders such as Dell to ensure world\u2011class compute is available to those tackling society\u2019s most complex challenges, helping the UK shape the next generation of AI for public good.<\/p>\n