The University of Bristol is to develop a new multi-million pound national AI data facility in the West of England as part of the Government’s AI for Science Strategy announced today [Friday 21 November].
The new data repository will be located next to Isambard-AI, the UK’s most powerful supercomputer, based at the NCC at Bristol and Bath Science Park.
As well as a digital library, it will house the UK’s most valuable large-scale datasets and make them readily available to researchers across the country.
Isambard-AI’s proximity will unleash the full potential of supercomputers, processing data at record speeds and enabling science that was previously impossible.
The new storage facility is a key part of the government’s goal to build a large-scale data infrastructure, allowing Isambard-AI to seamlessly interact with data across multiple sites, which often have different formats, governance, and access restrictions.
The AI for Science strategy has two objectives.
- Develop frontier capabilities in AI-driven science. Companies and researchers developing general-purpose AI science tools and building autonomous lab infrastructure are transforming the process of discovery. This is a key strategic area for building UK capacity.
- To ensure that the UK maintains its position of global scientific leadership. Integrating AI into science will reshape the national and global research landscape.
Built and operated by the Bristol Supercomputing Center (BriCS) in close collaboration with HPE and NVIDIA, the £225m Isambard-AI facility can do in one second what would take the entire world’s population 80 years to accomplish. It officially became operational in July this year and is the most powerful university-based supercomputer anywhere in the world.
These incredible processing speeds will provide unprecedented processing power in the UK, enabling researchers and industry to harness the huge potential of AI in areas such as robotics, big data, climate research and drug discovery.
The supercomputer forms a key part of the UK government’s AI Research Resource (AIRR), alongside DAWN in Cambridge, increasing the country’s capacity for responsible and cutting-edge AI development.
This new data feature will also explore how to provide secure access to high-impact health datasets through AIRR, enabling UK scientists to use this data to undertake more ambitious AI research.
Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, said: “As a research-intensive university at the heart of the UK’s AI revolution, we support the publication of the AI Strategy for Science and are delighted to play this important role.”
“Earlier this year, we launched Isambard-AI, the world’s fastest university-based supercomputer, which will lead the way in AI innovation and scientific discovery in critical areas such as drug discovery and climate research.
“The National AI Data Facility will be a key part of that infrastructure, further establishing Bristol and the UK as an international hub for AI research. This investment is at the heart of creating a ‘British Library’ for the age of AI.”
The development of Isambard-AI has made the West of England a regional hub for deep technology. This is the result of close collaboration with local governments.
West of England Mayor Helen Godwin said: “This investment will help accelerate the West’s ambitions to establish the UK’s first AI supercluster. Since May, our region has signed a technology trade agreement with the US, been recognized as a Lloyds Banking Group AI Capital, and switched on Isambard-AI, the country’s largest and fastest university-based supercomputer in the world.”
“In this new chapter for the West of England, we are working together to deliver more jobs for local people. Over the past decade, the West has seen the highest job growth in digital and technology of any region. The best is yet to come and today’s investment is a real vote of confidence in its bright future.”
Professor Simon Mackintosh-Smith, director of the Bristol Supercomputing Center, said: “Bristol’s new AI data facility will enable the UK’s most valuable data assets and largest datasets to be processed at record speeds by Isambard-AI, the country’s most powerful supercomputer and one of the world’s fastest AI systems.”
“This will enable new science and research that was not possible before, and help us unlock the full potential of the Government’s £225m investment in the Bristol Supercomputing Center and Isambard-AI.”
Rich Oldfield, Chief Executive Officer of NCC, said: “We welcome the new National AI Data Facility, built on the Isambard-AI infrastructure and hosted at the NCC, which will enhance the UK’s capabilities.
“This kind of investment is important. It gives researchers and businesses the tools they need to do difficult work faster, from discovering materials to new treatments. This is another step in making the West of England a place where serious discovery and innovation takes place.”
