Construction work has started on the UK’s new £750 million national supercomputer, which is set to deliver a major boost to the country’s artificial intelligence and scientific research capabilities.
The facility, hosted by the University of Edinburgh at a site near Penicuik in Midlothian, will be owned by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and is expected to become around 50 times more powerful than the UK’s current national supercomputer, ARCHER2.
The new system will provide researchers and industry with significantly greater computing power, supporting breakthroughs across areas including medicine, climate modelling, engineering and artificial intelligence.
Backed by up to £750m of UK Government investment, the supercomputer will feature thousands of advanced processors and will be capable of completing highly complex calculations in hours rather than days.
It is expected to carry out at least a billion-billion calculations every second, compared with the 20 million-billion calculations per second delivered by ARCHER2.
The University of Edinburgh was selected to host the new system following more than three decades of expertise in high-performance computing through EPCC, the National Supercomputing Centre.
Professor Mark Parsons, Director of EPCC, said: “You would never guess from this ordinary-looking building site just how vitally important it will be for the UK and how its contents could impact on all of our lives positively.
“This marks a profound leap in compute power for the UK. The value of this supercomputer across our society is vast, and will aid strong industry, a healthier economy and a happier population.”
The new supercomputer will replace ARCHER2, which has supported research including Covid-19 drug discovery and work to improve the efficiency of wind farms and aircraft engines.
The building housing the system will be approximately the size of a supermarket, with construction expected to be completed by the end of 2027 before the system becomes operational around spring 2028.
UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the project represents a major step in strengthening Britain’s sovereign computing capabilities and supporting future discoveries.
The construction work is being carried out by Robertson Construction Central East.
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Garth Wells, Deputy Executive Chairman of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council at UKRI, said the milestone marked “a pivotal moment for the UK’s scientific infrastructure”.
The supercomputer has also been designed with sustainability in mind, with surplus heat generated by the system set to be used to warm university buildings.
Experts said Scotland’s cooler climate will also support the system’s energy efficiency by helping with natural cooling alongside specialist technology.
