Edinburgh has been chosen as the host city for one of the fastest exascale computer systems in the world.
The exascale computer project is part of the UK Government’s £900m plan to advance the nation’s computing expertise and capacity.
The next-generation computer technology will be located at the University of Edinburgh and will help pioneer breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence, medicine, and green energy.
Michelle Donelan, the UK Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary, commented: “If we want the UK to remain a global leader in scientific discovery and technological innovation, we need to power up the systems that make those breakthroughs possible.
“This new UK Government-funded exascale computer in Edinburgh will provide British researchers with an ultra-fast, versatile resource to support pioneering work into AI safety, life-saving drugs, and clean low-carbon energy.
“It is part of our £900m investment in uplifting the UK’s computing capacity, helping us forge a stronger union, drive economic growth, create the high-skilled jobs of the future and unlock bold new discoveries that improve people’s lives.”
What is an exascale computer?
An exascale computer elevates computing to new frontiers and will enable the UK to boost its position globally in a range of industries.
Exascale computers can perform extremely complex functions with increased speed and precision, allowing researchers to expedite once time-consuming processes.
For example, computing power is measured in floating point operations (flops), which is the number of arithmetic calculations that a computer can perform every second.
An exascale computer is around 50 times more powerful than ARCHER2 – the UK’s current leading system – also located in Edinburgh.
Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack, explained: “We have already seen the vital work being carried out by ARCHER2 in Edinburgh, and this new exascale system, backed by the UK Government, will keep Scotland at the forefront of science and innovation.
“As well as supporting researchers in their critical work on AI safety, this will bring highly skilled jobs to Edinburgh and support economic growth for the region.”
The project will create new jobs in the region and considerably enhance the UK’s research, technology, and innovation capabilities.
Strengthening the UK’s supercomputer portfolio
The exascale computer announcement follows last month’s news that Bristol will host a powerful AI supercomputer called Isambard-AI, one of the most powerful in Europe.
The computer technologies will help drive innovations in drug discovery, nuclear and clean energy, and support critical research into AI safety and development.
Speaking on the significance of the technology, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, the UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive, said: “State-of-the-art compute infrastructure is critical to unlock advances in research and innovation, with diverse applications from drug design through to energy security and extreme weather modelling, benefiting communities across the UK.
“This next phase of investment, located at Edinburgh, will help to keep the UK at the forefront of emerging technologies and facilitate the collaborations needed to explore and develop game-changing insights across disciplines.”
