Work has started on a new supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh, following an investment of up to £750m ($990m) by the UK government.
The machine, which will be owned by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and hosted at the university, is set to become the country’s most powerful computer once completed.
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The new national supercomputer is expected to be capable of delivering at least a billion-billion calculations per second, a significant increase from the current capability of 20 million-billion calculations per second provided by the existing national supercomputer.
The new system is projected to be around 50 times more powerful than ARCHER2, the UK’s current supercomputer operated at the university.
UKRI states the supercomputer will be available for research in multiple fields, including aircraft engineering, analysis of extreme weather events, and cancer drug discovery.
The added computing power is expected to cut calculation times from days to hours and enable researchers to tackle larger, more complex problems than previously possible.
UK Minister for AI and Online Safety Kanishka Narayan said: “For decades, Edinburgh has been at the heart of world-leading supercomputing. This new machine takes that further – making sure UK researchers, businesses and innovators have the cutting-edge power they need here in the UK, rather than relying on others.
“This is what will unlock the next generation of breakthroughs – from training more powerful AI systems to accelerating scientific discovery and creating new products and high-growth businesses.”
The University of Edinburgh was selected to host the new supercomputer due to the expertise of Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC), which has been involved in high-performance computing for more than three decades. EPCC has also recently been formally designated the first UK National Supercomputing Centre.
ARCHER2 has previously supported Covid-19 drug-discovery work, improvement of aircraft engine efficiency, and wind farm optimisation. An independent report indicated the system has enabled economic benefits valued at more than £4.2bn.
Sustainability is a key feature of the new supercomputer’s design. The project aims to cut its environmental impact through energy‑efficient cooling, including harnessing Scotland’s naturally cooler air.
Surplus heat from the facility is intended to warm university buildings, with further research under way to determine if heat could be used in local residential areas.
The existing ARCHER2 facility is already net zero in operation and runs on 100% certified green electricity.
EPCC director Mark Parsons said: “This marks a profound leap in compute power for the UK. The value of this supercomputer across our society is vast, and will aid strong industry, a healthier economy and a happier population.”
University of Edinburgh Research and Innovation vice-principal Professor Liz Baggs said: “The best research advances can happen when skills and talent are enabled by exceptional tools.
“This supercomputer has the potential to help UK researchers accelerate frontiers, unlock new paradigms, and develop solutions to challenges that were previously impossible.”
Site demolition for the supercomputer facility has been minimised to limit environmental disruption, with additional sustainability and conservation measures planned during construction.
