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Named Isambard-AI and hosted at the University of Bristol, the machine went live this week. Built by Hewlett-Packard Enterprises (HPE) using its Cray EX architecture, it features over 5400 NVIDIA Grace Hopper superchips. Its raw computing power is measured at 216.5 petaflops with a peak theoretical performance of 278.6 petaflops—equivalent to one quadrillion calculations per second. This makes Isambard-AI more than 10 times faster than the UK’s next-fastest supercomputer, Njoerd in London.
Funded by £225 million ($300 million) in government money, this supercomputer is designed for demanding artificial intelligence and scientific calculations such as protein structure modelling, climate change simulations, and training large language models.
According to the TOP500 rankings, Isambard-AI has surpassed its previous UK champion but still faces stiff competition. The current world leader is El Capitan in the United States, with a performance of 1,742 petaflops. Frontier and Aurora follow closely, both American-built systems operating above 1,000 petaflops—the equivalent of one exaflop. Europe’s frontrunner, Germany’s JUPITER Booster, ranks fourth globally, followed by four other machines in the top ten: Italy’s HPC6 (sixth), Switzerland’s Alps (eighth), Finland’s LUMI (ninth), and Italy’s Leonardo (tenth).
Peter Kyle, the UK’s science, innovation, and technology secretary, stated that Isambard-AI would “propel” Britain to the forefront of AI discovery. The supercomputer will be used for various applications, including a prostate cancer detection system developed by University College London and helping Liverpool researchers discover greener, more sustainable industrial materials.
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However, Isambard-AI’s reign may be brief. In June, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration committed £750 million to another supercomputer in Edinburgh that aims to give the UK one of the world’s few exascale systems.
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