UK will invest £36m to boost Cambridge's DAWN supercomputer sixfold, giving researchers access to cutting-edge AI computing.
British researchers and tech start-ups are set to receive a major boost after the UK government announced a $49 million investment to expand the computing power of the DAWN supercomputer at the University of Cambridge, increasing its capacity by sixfold.
The funding will strengthen the UK’s AI Research Resource , a national program that provides free access to high-performance computing typically reserved for global tech giants.It forms part of the government’s wider AI Opportunities Action Plan, which is committing more than £2 billion to public AI infrastructure across the UK.The effect of expansionThe expansion will enable researchers to work on more ambitious projects, ranging from developing a cancer vaccine to improving climate modeling. The AIRR users will gain access to AMD’s latest MI355X AI accelerators for the first time.These accelerators have been integrated into the system by Dell Technologies, enabling the processing of larger models and datasets at scale. Kanishka Narayan, the Minister for AI, said this investment would cover the lack of access to computing power for researchers.“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,” she stated.“This investment changes that – 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,” she continued.Professor Sir John Aston, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at Cambridge, expressed the importance of the investment.“This investment marks an important milestone for the UK’s AI Research Resource, expanding the power of Cambridge’s 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,” he said.“The University of Cambridge is proud to work with industry leaders such as Dell to ensure world‑class computing is available to those tackling society’s most complex challenges, helping the UK shape the next generation of AI for public good,” Sir John continued.The AI Research Resource allows UK researchers, businesses, and start-ups to use supercomputing power at no cost. Alongside DAWN in Cambridge, AIRR currently has Isambard-AI in Bristol.Strengthening the AI research systemTariq Hussain, UK Head of Public Sector at Dell Technologies, said, “Working with the UK government and the University of Cambridge, Dell Technologies is ensuring that world‑class AI compute is freely available to the UK’s researchers and innovators, so they can turn bold ideas into real‑world impact in areas like earlier disease detection, climate resilience, and better public services.”“By integrating Dell PowerEdge servers with AMD’s latest MI355X accelerators into the DAWN supercomputer as part of the AI Research Resource, we’re helping British start‑ups and scientists run bigger models on larger datasets, accelerating breakthroughs that will benefit people and communities across the country,” he stated.Situated at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge innovation corridor, Cambridge plays a major role in UK science and technology, hosting world-leading researchers and fast-growing AI companies.The extra AI computing power is expected to be available from Spring 2026, helping AIRR achieve its goal of expanding AIRR twentyfold by 2030.
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