University named UK’s first National Supercomputing Centre
The University has been announced as home to the country’s first national supercomputing centre by the UK Government.
EPCC at The University of Edinburgh has been named the UK’s first National Supercomputing Centre.
EPCC at The University of Edinburgh has been named the UK’s first National Supercomputing Centre in an announcement by the UK Government as it launches its new Compute Roadmap.
EPCC, which operates the Advanced Computing Facility, and which hosts the current national supercomputer, ARCHER2, has been awarded this new status in recognition of its decades long experience and pioneering skill in advanced computing.
The significant step is a huge endorsement of the University and its future as a world-leader in supercomputing and AI, recognising the strength and value of Edinburgh’s expertise.
Today’s news follows last month’s Comprehensive Spending Review, as part of which it was announced the University will host the UK’s next national supercomputer, giving scientists across the UK access to compute power on a world-leading scale.
We are harnessing the power of AI to transform our public services, drive innovation and fuel economic growth that puts money in people’s pockets. As technology advances, our Plan for Change is ensuring we are ahead of the curve, expanding our sovereign AI capabilities so we can make scientific breakthroughs, equip businesses with new tools for growth, and create new jobs across the country.
Rachel Reeves
Chancellor of the Exchequer
UK First
The University is the first in a small network of National Supercomputing Centres which will be set up across the country.
The hubs will work as dedicated centres of expertise, connecting users across the country with access to cutting-edge processing power and catalysing greater collaboration between industry, academia and researchers.
The centres will also help build stronger links with existing talent in their respective regions - giving all areas of the country a supporting role in the UK's ability to be an ‘AI maker’.
The new network, which will grow over time from this first announcement, will form a crucial part of a country wide-drive to position the UK as an AI leader – creating opportunities to accelerate economic growth and transform public services, with increased compute capacity created to power new breakthroughs in AI.
From the shipyards of the Clyde to developments in steam engine technology, Scottish trailblazers were central to the industrial revolution. AI is this generation’s next great industrial leap, so who better to help drive that change than a nation with innovation hardwired in its DNA. We’ve set out an ambitious plan to cement our position as a global leader in AI, with Scotland set to play a key role – unlocking fresh investment and new opportunities. That’s how we’re putting our Plan for Change into action.
Peter Kyle
UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology
Further investment
Also announced today are details of other projects in which the University will play a leading role in developing world class skills and training, supporting UK-wide capability and access to infrastructure.
These will be funded by UKRI which is supporting the compute roadmap with new investments in many areas of critical digital research infrastructure, including career development.
New programmes include five Digital Research Technical Professional (DRTP) Skills NetworkPlus awards to universities including Edinburgh, Warwick, Southampton, UCL and Imperial, who will share a £9million funding package to tackle critical technical skills gaps and support national connectivity.
The University will also receive investment of £1.6 million to support learning and showcase the UK’s compute strength internationally, through the new Knowledge Exchange and Communications NetworkPlus (KEC NetworkPlus), also based at EPCC.
This project will drive supercomputing and AI activities within communities and represent the UK in national and international initiatives, sharing best practice and facilitating knowledge exchange.
This is a landmark moment and will place Scotland at the forefront of the UK's technological revolution. The up to £750 million investment in Edinburgh's new supercomputer also places Scotland at the cutting edge of computing power globally. This will see Scotland playing a leading role in creating breakthroughs that have a global benefit - such as new medicines, health advances, and climate change solutions. This is the Plan for Change – delivering real opportunities and economic growth for communities across Scotland.
Ian Murray
UK Secretary of State for Scotland
New horizons
The new Compute Roadmap outlines the UK Government’s strategic approach to building world-class compute infrastructure in the UK, using supercomputing, which powers Artificial Intelligence to deliver the UK’s national priorities.
Edinburgh’s new status as a National Supercomputing Centre and the forthcoming national supercomputer, will provide high-performance computing capability for key research and industry projects across the UK and allow the University to develop new expertise and attract new talent.
It underlines Scotland’s growing reputation as a country of computing and AI excellence, creating jobs and helping to draw other benefits and investment to both the regional and national economy.
To be named the UK’s first national supercomputing centre is a significant recognition of the University of Edinburgh’s longstanding leadership in advanced computing. For more than thirty years, we have hosted the UK’s national supercomputer and further developed our globally respected expertise in computer science and artificial intelligence.
This new designation as the first national supercomputing centre will provide new opportunities for research and innovation across the UK, attracting further investment and talent. We look forward to working alongside the UK Government, UKRI and other partners to bring this ambitious plan to life.
Professor Sir Peter Mathieson
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh
Building on expertise
Today’s news places the University, the city of Edinburgh and wider region at the centre of a nation-wide effort to drive technological innovations and support industry using computing and AI.
Once operational, the new supercomputer will enable researchers to undertake the next generation of large-scale complex modelling, scientific testing and improve products and public services in areas including medicine, climate change and national security.
The University has been home to the UK’s high-performance computing services for more than 30 years, with the ACF, operated by EPCC and its team of staff, having hosted the UK’s national supercomputers since 1994.
The University has been a world-leader in AI and computing for more than 60 years. It is the regarded as the birthplace of AI research and learning in Europe.
I am incredibly proud that we have been named as the UK’s first National Supercomputing Centre, which follows the recent confirmation in last month’s Spending Review that the University of Edinburgh will host the next £750m national supercomputer, the fastest and most powerful in the UK.
We also welcome additional funding from UKRI which will support skills development and digital learning across the UK and internationally, helping to develop the next generation of computing talent and enabling us to share our skills and knowledge across the country.
We will use all of our expertise and experience to develop the centre as a place of global excellence for the country, creating the best possible resource not only for our scientific and industry research partners, but for the UK population as a whole.
Professor Mark Parsons
Director of EPCC and Dean of Research Computing at the University of Edinburgh:
