The Construction of a new £750m supercomputer has begun in the outskirts of Penicuik and Roslin in Midlothian.
The supercomputer is being funded by the UK Government, and hosted by the University of Edinburgh.
This Next National Supercomputer (NNSS), will reportedly be similar in size to a large supermarket and will be 50 times more powerful than the previous ARCHER2 supercomputer, which was hosted by the university.
University involvement has been fronted by the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC), due to the 30 year experience the university holds with high performing computer services.
EPCC director Professor Parsons stated to the Midlothian view: “This marks a profound leap in compute power for the UK. The value of this supercomputer across our society is vast, and will aid strong industry, a healthier economy and a happier population.”
Vice chancellor Peter Mathieson commented: “This powerful supercomputer will drive economic growth by supporting advancements in medicine, bolstering emerging industries and public services, and unlocking the full potential of AI.”
Despite some environmental concerns, owing to the huge amount of energy required and excess heat created, developers maintain the NNSS will be sustainable through “advanced cooling mechanisms” and surplus heat being used to warm university buildings.
Once operational, the university states that the NNSS will improve current UK modelling capabilities to enable improved research in: medicine, engineering, the climate, and public services. This will put the university at the heart of UK scientific research, with the advanced capabilities allowing for one billion calculations per second.
The computer will aim to be operational in 2028, with construction finishing next autumn.
Image by Kevin Ache on Unsplash.
