The Bristol Centre for Supercomputing (BriCS) hosted senior executives from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) for an exclusive visit to the Isambard supercomputing facility at the National Composites Centre (NCC). The visit reinforced the growing collaboration between BriCS and HPE in advancing high-performance computing (HPC) and AI innovation in the UK.
The delegation from HPE included Trish Damkroger, HPE's Senior Vice President & General Manager of High Performance Computing & AI Infrastructure Solutions, Jose Reinoso, Vice President of HPC & AI Engineering, andSimon Appleby, Supercomputing & AI Division UKI Business Manager. During their visit, the guests toured the operational GW4 supercomputer Isambard 3 and Isambard-AI Phase 1 facilities, as well as the soon-to-be-completed Isambard-AI Phase 2 site. They gained firsthand insight into the centre’s rapid development and innovative engineering approach.
Isambard-AI is set to become the UK’s fastest and most powerful supercomputer, purpose-built for AI research following completion in Summer 2025. It has been ranked 11th fastest in the world in the prestigious TOP500 and will offer capacity never seen before in the UK for researchers and industry to harness the huge potential of AI in fields such as robotics, big data, climate research and drug discovery.
The visit included high-level discussions on the progress of the Isambard project and potential future collaborations in response to recent UK government initiatives outlined in the AI Opportunities Action Plan. The HPE delegation were pleased to hear about the rapid pace of the Isambard-AI build thanks to HPE’s modular data center technology and energy efficient design.
Fully installed over the winter of 2024, phase one of Isambard-AI is already up and running. Current AI projects include understanding what role the inflammation of blood vessels plays in heart disease, using camera tracking to determine the health of livestock on farms and producing groundbreaking new vaccines.
“HPE and the University of Bristol have collaborated for years to advance supercomputing, and Isambard-AI marks a significant milestone that pushes the boundaries to accelerate the UK's national AI strategy while setting new standards for leadership performance and energy efficiency,” said Trish Damkroger. “We are proud to play an important role in the mission by delivering breakthrough engineering with the HPE Cray EX supercomputer and our decades-long expertise. We look forward to the AI-driven science that Isambard-AI will enable for researchers to accelerate discoveries and innovation.”
Director of BriCS, Professor Simon McIntosh-Smith said, “BriCS are delighted to be working in such close partnership with HPE on this groundbreaking project for the UK. There’s something quite special about standing on the Isambard site and being able to physically see the methods and planning that has gone in from both sides. We’re excited for what the future holds for Isambard and our key partner in HPE.”
From summer 2025, users will also be able to access Isambard-AI phase 2 while the system is being tested, which has an additional 5,280 Nvidia Grace Hopper (GH200) superchips.
Researchers and startups are now invited to access Isambard-AI to run large-scale projects.
The visit reaffirmed the strong collaboration between BriCS and HPE, reinforcing their shared commitment to delivering cutting-edge computing solutions that will support scientific discovery, industry advancements, and national AI initiatives in the years to come.