Edinburgh’s Exascale Computer was the wrong project to cut - Angus Robertson

Emerging technologies will be key in fields such as robotics and artificial intelligenceEmerging technologies will be key in fields such as robotics and artificial intelligence
Emerging technologies will be key in fields such as robotics and artificial intelligence
All fair minded people appreciate the serious challenges facing the public finances. Badly managed UK austerity finances have made things challenging for UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves.

However, the SNP has been arguing that Labour continuing Tory austerity will not help the people or the economy. Investment is needed to deliver the well-being of the people and economic growth to support recovery. That’s why the decision to cut £800 million from Edinburgh University’s Exascale Computer was the wrong one. The supercomputer—one of only a handful in the world—will provide huge advances in research and development and contribute hugely to the nation’s data, tech and AI economy.

Since this cut was announced, Rachel Reeves has recognised the need for investment and will re-structure how debt is measured in the UK to be able to invest in infrastructure. The Exascale Computer should be a top priority investment of this kind, so I have written to Edinburgh’s Labour MPs—including the Secretary of State for Scotland—and to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, to ask for their efforts to secure this funding. The text of this letter follows:

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Following news that ‘borrow-to-invest’ funding will be created in this week’s budget, I write to appeal for your help advocating to the Chancellor to provide investment for the building of the Exascale Computer at Edinburgh University. While I appreciate very difficult funding decisions have to be made, the choice to cut £800 million by the UK Government to Edinburgh’s globally leading institutions was the wrong one.

The Chancellor has said the change of public-sector debt measurement will free up investment to ‘grow our economy and bring jobs and growth to Britain.’ This provides an opportunity to back the ambitious Exascale project that will ensure the University, city and country’s place as a global leader in supercomputing and related data, tech, and AI fields.

Able to perform one billion billion calculations each second, the Exascale Computer would provide high-performance computing capability for key research and industry projects across the UK. Exascale is aimed at helping researchers model all aspects of the world, test scientific theories and improve products and services in areas such as artificial intelligence, drug discovery, climate change, astrophysics and advanced engineering. The consequential economic benefits are astronomic.

Having been contacted by numerous stakeholders following the cut, the opportunity lost at the project’s cancellation is clear. It would simply not be possible for the UK to be a science superpower without such a supercomputer.

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As you are aware, more broadly, our city and region have a huge part to play in all facets of AI, data, tech, and related fields. Years of investment from Scottish and UK Governments, local authorities, businesses, academic institutions, and more, have solidified Edinburgh as a crucible of future technologies, research and economic growth. The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal is well on the way to establishing Edinburgh as the data capital of Europe, along with the creation of 21,000 jobs.

We must keep the momentum going to build on this work, and investing in the Exascale computer is key to doing this. Following the new funds being made available by the Chancellor, I would be most grateful for your help securing the Exascale supercomputer investment and remain available to assist in any way I can.

Hopefully the UK Government will listen.

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