The national £225m Isambard-AI supercomputing facility based at the University of Bristol is making the UK a world leader in AI.
Developed by the University, in close partnership with HPE and NVIDIA, Isambard-AI is able to process in one second what it would take the entire global population 80 years to achieve.
Such impressive processing speeds offer capacity never seen before in the UK, allowing researchers and industry to harness the huge potential of AI in fields such as robotics, big data, climate research and drug discovery.
The supercomputer, which is based at NCC on the Bristol and Bath Science Park, was officially launched by Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology.
It is a key part of the UK Government’s AI Research Resource (AIRR), intended to boost the country’s capabilities in responsible and cutting-edge AI development.
Named after revolutionary engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel – a nod to the region’s historic contributions to engineering and innovation – Isambard-AI was built in partnership with HPE, using next-generation supercomputing with HPE Cray EX that is optimised for AI workloads with 5,400 cutting-edge NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips.
Not only is it the 6th fastest supercomputer in Europe, it is also the 4th greenest in the world according to the Green500 list. Built to be incredibly energy efficient, the facility exclusively uses zero carbon electricity. It has been built in a low-carbon, modular data centre, installed by Oakland Construction, leading to a reduction in carbon emissions of around 72% compared to traditional build methods. It also utilises HPE’s 100% fan-less, direct liquid cooling technology to deliver up to 90% reduction in cooling power consumption. There is also potential to recycle the waste heat output for nearby homes and businesses.
The University of Bristol was chosen to host the new national supercomputer research facility thanks to its long history of world-leading AI research and expertise in high performance computing.
The team at the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing (BriCS) has used its experience, combined with the latest modular data centre techniques, to complete in under two years what usually takes four to five years, progressing the Isambard-AI project at unprecedented pace.
Its 2025 launch follows the Technology Secretary launching a ten-year plan to boost the country’s AI compute capacity. This will increase the UK’s ability to deliver the next generation of game-changing breakthroughs while building up the strengths of Britain’s wider AI sector.
Researchers at the University of Bristol are using Isambard-AI to help analyse recordings from wearable cameras and other smart devices to help people perform tasks better at home – something which holds immense promise for assisting dementia patients in the future.
Videos contain far more information than images or text, but research in video understanding has been limited due to the hardware needs of handling the sheer volume of such data. This new capability of Isambard-AI is opening up exciting possibilities, including capturing footage directly from individuals in the early stages of dementia and training an AI model to help trigger stronger memories later on.
Other examples of research enabled by the supercomputer include using AI to analyse MRI scans – meaning cases of cancer can be identified sooner and patients can then be given personalised treatment plans; improving our understanding of over 30 key proteins involved in a number of diseases to help develop future treatments; and the monitoring and analysis of dairy cattle herds to detect changes in social behaviour which can serve as early indicators of subclinical diseases.
Researchers and startups from across the UK: find out how you can apply to use Isambard.