The steel frame has been completed on the Edinburgh building that will house the UK’s Next National Supercomputer. The milestone was marked during a visit to the site by the UK Government’s minister for artificial intelligence.
Kanishka Narayan, Cabinet Minister for Artificial Intelligence, signed a structural beam that completes the building’s frame. Professor Mark Parsons, director of EPCC; Professor Kim Graham, provost of the University of Edinburgh; and members of the build team also signed it.
Building work on the site began in earnest earlier this year. The supercomputer is set to be the UK’s most powerful and is expected to be up and running in early 2028. It will give academic and industry users access to the advanced computing power needed for innovation, discovery and growth.
The project is funded by the UK Government through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It is being delivered as a partnership between UKRI and EPCC, the University of Edinburgh’s supercomputing centre and the UK’s first National Supercomputing Centre. Robertson Construction Central East is carrying out construction of the building, which is around the size of a large supermarket.
The system is intended to support research in fields including sustainable aircraft engineering, extreme weather events and drug discovery. Supercomputing allows researchers to carry out modelling that would be unfeasible or too costly in the real world, such as simulating heart blood flow, predicting heatwaves, modelling flood defences and understanding volcanic eruptions.
Narayan said: “Seeing construction underway in Edinburgh is a powerful reminder that the UK’s ambition to build world-leading compute capability is becoming a reality. This Next National Supercomputer will be a vital national asset, giving researchers and companies the power to pursue transformational discoveries on British shores and strengthening our position at the forefront of global science.”
During his visit, the minister met Dr Antonia Mey of the university’s School of Chemistry, who explained how supercomputing helps researchers understand antibiotic resistance. He also toured laboratories at BioQuarter and met university researchers. They included Professor Kenneth Baillie, who described the use of supercomputing to find treatments for Covid-19, and Professor Will Whiteley, who explained how population-scale data and supercomputing support a better understanding of stroke and dementia.
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Graham said: “This is an exciting moment for Edinburgh and the UK as the construction on the external build for the Next National Supercomputer nears completion. It has been a privilege to host Minister Narayan at the site, showcasing Edinburgh’s globally-impactful contributions in health innovation, supercomputing, AI and advanced technologies. We look forward to continuing to work with the UK Government to deliver on their priorities, boosting economic growth in our region and across the UK.”
Parsons said: “Now that the steel frame has been completed on the building, getting the Next National Supercomputer online feels tantalisingly close. It’s been fantastic to see construction progress smoothly and I look forward to working with our partners at UKRI and the UK Government as we progress towards installation and switch on.”
