The government has published a new Compute Roadmap to deliver on the £1 billion allocated in the Spending Review to increase the UK's compute infrastructure.

The government has said that AI will be used to deliver the UK's national priorities under the Plan for Change and position the country as an AI maker, not an AI taker. This will accelerate economic growth and transform public services.

The government plans to expand the UK's AI Research Resource AIRR twenty-fold over the next five years.

The AIRR is delivered in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Nvidia, HPE,  Dell Technologies and Intel, and brings together the country’s most powerful supercomputers: Isambard-AI based in Bristol and Dawn in Cambridge. 

The technology secretary has switched on the Isambard supercomputer at its formal launch in Bristol, making the AIRR now fully up and running.

University College London researchers are already using Isambard to line up pioneering AI tools which could revolutionise NHS cancer screening. They are using the system to develop one of the first scalable AI models dedicated to medical imaging.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology Peter Kyle said: "Britain has top of the class talent in AI and our plan will put a rocket under our brilliant researchers, scientists, and engineers – giving them the tools they need to make Britain the best place to do their work.

"This will mean we can harness the technology in Britain to transform our public services, drive growth, and unlock new opportunities for every community in the country."

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: "We are harnessing the power of AI to transform our public services, drive innovation and fuel economic growth that puts money in people’s pockets.

"As technology advances, our Plan for Change is ensuring we are ahead of the curve, expanding our sovereign AI capabilities so we can make scientific breakthroughs, equip businesses with new tools for growth, and create new jobs across the country."