The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has announced that the UK government has injected £36m to increase the power of one supercomputing centre sixfold.
Reportedly, British researchers and tech start-ups will benefit from the upgrade as the investment builds on Cambridge’s position at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor.
This includes backing a new National Computational Resource supercomputer at Cambridge, even further enhancing the compute power available to UK scientists.
Home to the DAWN supercomputer, the University of Cambridge is already part of the AI Research Resource (AIRR) – a national programme that gives free access to high-powered computing.
The supercomputer is reported to have supported more than 350 projects, with scientists using it to develop AI tools that could speed up personalised cancer vaccines.
The researchers have done this by working out exactly which parts of a tumour the immune system needs to target. Others are using it to better understand the changing environment.
This extra AI computing power will kick in as early as Spring 2026 and will help create everyday benefits like:
- Faster, more accurate tools that help doctors spot diseases much earlier
- Smarter technology that cuts waiting times and makes public services easier to use
- Better climate modelling to help communities prepare for extreme weather
For the first time, UK researchers using AIRR will also get access to AMD Instinct’s latest MI355X GPUs integrated by Dell Technologies, who supply the supercomputer infrastructure, and highly innovative UK AI software stack supplied by UK SME StackHPC.
Pro-vice-chancellor for research, University of Cambridge, Professor Sir John Aston, said: “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.
“The University of Cambridge is proud to work with industry leaders such as Dell to ensure world‑class compute is available to those tackling society’s most complex challenges, helping the UK shape the next generation of AI for public good.”
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