The United Kingdom’s government announced that it will invest £225 million, or $273 million, in artificial intelligence supercomputer. This move underscores the nation’s goal of becoming the technological leader as it tries to catch up to China and the United States.
The supercomputer, named Isambard-AI after the British engineer of the 19th century, Isambard Brunel, will be constructed by the University of Bristol. The news was made on the opening day of the AI safety summit being held in Bletchley Park, United Kingdom.
The University of Bristol will construct the supercomputer, named Isambard-AI, after the British engineer of the 19th century. The news was made on the opening day of the AI safety summit being held in Bletchley Park, United Kingdom.
Isambard-AI, according to the British government, will be the most sophisticated computer in the country when it is finished and “ten times faster than the U.K.’s current quickest machine.” 5,448 GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, potent artificial intelligence chips produced by American semiconductor behemoth Nvidia, which specializes in high-performance computing applications, will be installed in the computer.
The computer will be built with assistance from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, a major American IT company, with the goal of eventually connecting it to the recently unveiled Dawn supercomputer in Cambridge. The computer, which was constructed by Dell and the UK company StackPC, will be driven by over a thousand Intel chips that use water cooling to save energy. Within the next two months, it is anticipated to begin operating.
The United Kingdom government anticipates that the two supercomputers working together will lead to advances in climate modeling, health care, and fusion energy.
According to the government, the machines will be operational from summer 2024 onwards and will support researchers in analyzing sophisticated AI models to verify safety features and propel advancements in clean energy and drug discovery.
Prior to this, the government set aside £1 billion for investments in the semiconductor sector in an effort to secure the nation’s chip supply and lessen its reliance on East Asia for the most crucial microchips for commerce.
