Chancellor Rachel Reeves places Edinburgh at forefront of Britain’s AI drive
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has marked her first official visit to Edinburgh University by touring the site of the UK’s next national supercomputer.
The visit followed the launch of the UK Government’s new Compute Roadmap, which set out the long-term plan to expand computing infrastructure and position the country as a global leader in artificial intelligence and scientific innovation.
Seen as vital to the national drive, funding of up to £750m for the new supercomputer was confirmed in last month’s Chancellor’s Spending Review.
Ms Reeves was welcomed to the university by Principal and Vice-Chancellor Sir Peter Mathieson and Professor Mark Parsons, director of the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC), which houses existing supercomputer ARCHER2 within its Advanced Computer Centre, located at the university’s Easter Bush Campus in Midlothian.
As part of the Compute Roadmap, EPCC was named as the first in a new network of National Supercomputing Centres that will be set up across the UK.
The university’s new status as a National Supercomputing Centre, as well as home to the next national supercomputer, places Edinburgh and the wider region at the centre of a nationwide effort to drive technological innovations and support industry using computing and AI.
During her visit, the Chancellor hosted a roundtable with tech sector leaders, founders and CEOs, who are leveraging supercomputing and data and discussed how the UK government’s Industrial Strategy, particularly the Digital and Technologies Sector plan can support SMEs.
Already regarded as the birthplace of AI research and learning in Europe, the university has been a world leader in AI for more than six decades.
For more than 30 years it has pioneered the use of high-performance computing technologies that have created breakthroughs in health, advanced engineering and climate change solutions.
Reeves said: “Scottish innovation has changed the world and we’ll ensure it remains a global leader in the technologies of the future.
“The £750 million investment we’ve made here will see Edinburgh become the hub of our supercomputing power, pioneering new technology and driving economic growth in all four corners of the UK.
“Through our Plan for Change we’re investing in Britain’s renewal, supporting the well-paid jobs of the future and making working people better off.”
Professor Sir Peter Mathieson said: “The Chancellor’s announcement to invest in a new national supercomputer was a strong endorsement of our university’s expertise and track record in delivering world-leading technology.
“The visit gave us a welcome opportunity to showcase our state-of-the-art facility and share how we will continue to play a key role in the UK’s advancement in computing power. We look forward to working with the UK Government and partners on this major national project.”
Professor Mark Parsons said: “Our status as the first National Supercomputing Centre, alongside the new supercomputer, will enable us to push the boundaries of computing and AI and unlock new advances and economic growth for the benefit of society.”