Held in recognition of the country's AI infrastructure, Professor Evelyn Welch joined AI entrepreneurs, investors and regional mayors to hear about the Government's determination to make AI the centrepiece of their future plans.

The gathering included key speeches by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Minister of State for Investment Poppy Gustafsson and Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle.

The event follows on from a meeting held at Downing Street last week with Indian investors interested in AI, attended by Professor Simon McIntosh-Smith, Director of Bristol Centre for Supercomputing (BriCS) and one of the leading experts in High Performance Computing (HPC) at the University.

Professor Welch said: “It was an enormous privilege to be invited to No 10 in recognition of the huge strides the University has made towards AI innovation.

“Since June last year, our supercomputer Isambard-AI phase one has already been facilitating significant AI research, including the development of treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's.

“With new users lining up to use Isambard-AI when it is fully completed this summer, we’re only just getting started.

“We’re extremely proud to be an integral part of the Government’s AI recovery plan to boost the nation’s prosperity.”

Sir Keir Starmer unveiled the UK's AI Opportunities Action Plan last month which aims to position the nation as a global leader.

A cornerstone of this approach is the development of advanced AI infrastructure, significantly bolstered by the University of Bristol’s supercomputer, Isambard-AI.

The Isambard-AI project is aligned to the government's AI roadmap to recovery which emphasises ramping up AI adoption across the UK to enhance economic growth, provide jobs for the future, and improve people's everyday lives.

It will be among the top 15 most powerful supercomputers globally when fully operational, representing a major leap forward for UK supercomputers.

The team building Isambard-AI at BriCS have used their experience, combined with the latest modular data centre techniques, to complete in under two years what usually takes four-five years, progressing the project at unprecedented pace.

By investing in cutting-edge infrastructure such as Isambard-AI, the UK is poised to lead in AI research and development, driving innovation and economic growth in line with the national strategy.