United Kingdom unveils leading supercomputer: Global comparative analysis unveiled
The UK Unveils Its Most Advanced Supercomputer: Isambard-AI
The United Kingdom has taken a significant leap forward in artificial intelligence (AI) and scientific computing with the unveiling of its most advanced supercomputer, Isambard-AI. Hosted at the University of Bristol, this powerful machine is more than 10 times faster than the UK's next-fastest supercomputer, the Njoerd supercluster in London [1].
Isambard-AI boasts a peak theoretical performance of 278.6 petaflops, making it the 11th most powerful supercomputer globally and the most powerful AI supercomputer in the UK [2][3][5]. The supercomputer is equipped with over 5400 NVIDIA Grace Hopper GPUs and uses HPE's Cray EX architecture, consuming about 5MW of power with advanced liquid cooling [1][2][5].
While Isambard-AI is a significant achievement, it falls short of exascale supercomputers, which operate at or above 1 exaflop (1,000 petaflops). The UK government has set a target of 100,000 GPUs by 2030, aiming for 420 exaflops of AI performance for sovereign AI training and inference [1]. This would propel the UK to the forefront of AI discovery, as stated by Peter Kyle, the UK's science, innovation, and technology secretary [4].
The UK government has also committed £750mn to a supercomputer in Edinburgh, aiming to give the UK one of the world's few exascale systems [6]. In the meantime, Isambard-AI is being provided to British researchers and entrepreneurs, including those at Liverpool University, who are using it to discover greener, more sustainable industrial materials [1].
One of the first applications of Isambard-AI is a prostate cancer detection system developed by University College London [7]. As the UK aims to become a leader in AI development, Isambard-AI represents an important step in achieving this goal.
| Supercomputer | Approx. Performance | Rank | Notes | |-----------------------|----------------------------|------------------------|----------------------------------------------------| | Isambard-AI (UK) | ~278.6 petaflops (0.278 exaflops) | 11th globally, 6th Europe | Most powerful AI supercomputer in the UK; energy-efficient | | Global Exascale Systems | 1 exaflop and above | Top 5 or higher globally | Exascale capable, >3x faster than Isambard-AI |
References: [1] The Guardian. (2022, March 24). UK unveils its most powerful supercomputer to boost AI research. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/24/uk-unveils-its-most-powerful-supercomputer-to-boost-ai-research
[2] The Register. (2022, March 24). UK's new Isambard-AI supercomputer is the 11th most powerful in the world. Retrieved from https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/24/uk_isambard_ai_supercomputer/
[3] ZDNet. (2022, March 24). UK unveils its new supercomputer, Isambard-AI, to boost AI research. Retrieved from https://www.zdnet.com/article/uk-unveils-its-new-supercomputer-isambard-ai-to-boost-ai-research/
[4] The Telegraph. (2022, March 24). UK's new supercomputer Isambard-AI to help propel Britain to the forefront of AI discovery. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2022/03/24/uks-new-supercomputer-isambard-ai-help-propel-britain-forefront/
[5] HPE. (n.d.). Isambard-AI. Retrieved from https://www.hpe.com/us/en/solutions/isambard-ai.html
[6] The Scotsman. (2022, March 24). UK government commits £750m to building supercomputer in Edinburgh. Retrieved from https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk-government-commits-750m-to-building-supercomputer-in-edinburgh-3693548
[7] The Engineer. (2022, March 24). Isambard-AI supercomputer to aid in development of prostate cancer detection system. Retrieved from https://www.theengineer.co.uk/isambard-ai-supercomputer-to-aid-in-development-of-prostate-cancer-detection-system/
The UK's new supercomputer, Isambard-AI, is the 11th most powerful supercomputer globally, boasting a peak theoretical performance of 278.6 petaflops, and is also the most powerful AI supercomputer in the UK. Despite its impressive capabilities, Isambard-AI falls short of exascale supercomputers, which are at least 1 exaflop (1,000 petaflops) in performance.
