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£36m upgrade for Cambridge supercomputer
The UK government has allocated £36 million to enhance Dawn, one of the country's most advanced supercomputers, as part of a broader push to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) research. The upgrade, set to multiply the system's processing power sixfold, will support public-sector projects ranging from reducing NHS waiting times to combating climate change.
Public-sector impact
Dawn, based at the University of Cambridge, has already facilitated over 350 projects at no cost to users. Its applications include developing AI-driven tools for personalised cancer vaccines-identifying specific tumour targets-and improving climate modelling to better predict extreme weather events. The next iteration, dubbed Zenith, is expected to launch this spring, equipped with additional AI chips and expanded computational capacity.
Collaboration and infrastructure
The project is a joint effort involving Dell, AMD, and Stack HPC. The AI Research Resource (AIRR), a national programme, provides free access to such high-performance computing, typically monopolised by large tech firms. The Bristol-based Isambard supercomputer is also part of this initiative, working alongside Dawn to advance AI research.
"This investment will give researchers, clinicians, and innovators the tools they need to drive breakthroughs that improve public services."
Professor Sir John Aston, University of Cambridge
Energy demands and efficiency
AI systems require substantial energy, and Dawn is no exception. The supercomputer consumes 1 megawatt of power-equivalent to 20% of London's broadband network capacity-while its water usage matches that of 20 households. A team of 50 engineers maintains the system, with five staff always on-site in the data centre, wearing ear protection to mitigate the noise.
"It does take a lot of hands-on skill to keep a machine like this running. Power efficiency is our number one driver. We get an awful lot of output for that power and water use."
Dr Paul Calleja, Director of Research Computing Services, University of Cambridge
Government and industry outlook
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology stated the funding would enable British researchers and tech companies to "develop the AI tools of the future." Officials emphasised the potential for "everyday benefits," such as faster medical diagnoses and more accurate climate projections.
"AI really shortcuts a lot of the really complex computational elements in science, allowing us to do things we couldn't do before."
Dr Paul Calleja
