Four national compute resources launched for cutting-edge science and research

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced plans to invest £76 million ($102m) in four new national compute resources (NCRs).

Based at the University of Birmingham, the University of Cambridge, the University of Edinburgh, and University College London (UCL), they include both central processing unit (CPU)-based and graphics processing unit (GPU)-based systems.

The idea is to give researchers access to different types of hardware tailored to specific research needs, with a simplified system for access allowing more researchers, including those who have never used supercomputers before, to benefit.

The funding covers both the high-tech equipment and five years of expert service up to 2031, according to UKRI.

"This program represents a step-change in the UK’s compute capabilities, establishing a more accessible and sustainable compute landscape in the UK and enhancing the way we support researchers and innovators," said UKRI digital research infrastructure programme director Richard Gunn.

"These resources are designed to be truly user-centered, offering a diverse range of architectures that will be more accessible to a much broader community, from climate scientists to AI researchers."

Edinburgh to host first NCR

The four NCRs are expected to be fully up and running for researchers by next year, with at least two launching this summer.

The first to launch is Edinburgh, where a £19.5 million investment will be used to enhance and expand the reach of its Cirrus supercomputer, designed to complement the forthcoming next national supercomputer, which will also be housed at the University.

"Computational science is a team game and the set of NCRs will help us to work more closely as a UK network, expanding the existing Cirrus user community and boosting the UK’s innovation capability," said professor Mark Parson, director of the EPCC at the University of Edinburgh.

"This investment is a vote of confidence in EPCC as the first UK National Supercomputing Centre, and adds more of the essential compute required as we prepare to host the next national supercomputer."

UCL, Birmingham receive funding boosts

£19.5 million of the funding, meanwhile, will be allocated to UCL. Its Charger resource will consist of more than 37,000 CPU cores and will run on Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) technology, including HPE Slingshot networking and HPE Cray storage. The system will be hosted with DataVita.

The University of Birmingham has also been granted £18 million for its Baskerville NCR. It will be used for projects such as developing new digital tools to help decarbonize industry, predicting weather patterns and analyzing medical information.

"The service will exploit the broad and deep expertise in the team to deliver great technology and tools and training for researchers," said Carol Sandys, head of advanced research computing at the University of Birmingham.

"It will also provide opportunities for training, hands-on experience, and professional development for system administrators, research software engineers, and support specialists in the Midlands. This reflects the University of Birmingham's ongoing commitment to investing in this area of critical skills shortage.”

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