UK invests $273 million in AI supercomputer as it seeks to compete with U.S., China

The U.K. government said Wednesday that it will invest £225 million, or $273 million, into an artificial intelligence supercomputer, highlighting the country’s ambition to lead in the technology as it races to catch up to the U.S. and China.

The University of Bristol will build the supercomputer, called Isambard-AI after the 19th century British engineer Isambard Brunel. The announcement coincided with the first day of the U.K.’s AI safety summit, which is being held in Bletchley Park.

The U.K. government said Isambard-AI will be the most advanced computer in Britain and once complete, it will be “10 times faster than the U.K.’s current quickest machine.” The computer will pack 5,448 GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, powerful AI chips made by U.S. semiconductor giant Nvidia, which specializes in high-performance computing applications.

source: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/01/uk-to-invest-273-million-in-turing-ai-supercomputer.html