UK's first AI supercomputer set to boost research in Oxfordshire
The Sunrise system aims to drive advances in fusion energy, supporting net zero goals
A new artificial intelligence supercomputer designed to accelerate fusion energy research is being developed as part of a project led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) in Oxfordshire.
The machine, called Sunrise, is expected to become the world’s most powerful AI supercomputer dedicated to fusion energy.
Researchers at the UKAEA’s Culham Campus in Abingdon will use the technology to help tackle some of the biggest scientific challenges in developing fusion power.
Backed by £45 million from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the project forms part of the government’s wider plans to expand artificial intelligence and support the UK’s sustainability ambitions.
Dr Rob Akers, Director of Computing Programmes and Senior Fellow at UKAEA, said the new system will significantly increase the speed of scientific research.
“It will allow us to do calculations hundreds of times faster than we’ve ever been able to do in the past to accelerate our science and engineering and to de-risk our roadmap towards fusion energy,” he said.
Fusion energy works by replicating the same processes that power stars.
Scientists are working to develop a reactor capable of containing extremely hot plasma to generate large amounts of clean energy.
“We’re trying to design a piece of machinery called a tokamak that will contain a small star here on Earth and produce huge amounts of power in the 2040s,” Dr Akers said.
“That requires an incredibly complex set of physics that we have to solve, hence the reason we need these very powerful computers.”
The machine is currently being assembled and is expected to be fully operational by the end of June.
Dr Akers said sustainability has also been considered, with it using direct liquid cooling to reduce water usage and running on renewable energy from wind and solar power.
The project is expected to create more jobs and is the first step in establishing the country’s first AI Growth Zone at the Culham Campus.
It also involves collaboration between organisations including AMD, Dell Technologies, Intel and the University of Cambridge.
Dr Akers said: “I’ve worked for UKAEA for over 30 years now and I’d say I’ve never seen anything more exciting than this throughout my whole career.”