The UK government has announced a £36 million investment to expand the DAWN supercomputer at the University of Cambridge, increasing its AI compute capacity sixfold by Spring 2026 and strengthening the UK’s national AI infrastructure.
This investment is being injected into British researchers and startups to ensure they can develop the AI tools of the future.
The investment builds on Cambridge’s position at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor – one of Europe’s most important centres for science, technology and innovation.
This includes support for a new National Computational Resource supercomputer at Cambridge, further strengthening the compute capacity available to UK scientists.
Already home to the DAWN supercomputer, the University of Cambridge is part of the AI Research Resource (AIRR), a national programme that provides free access to high-performance computing typically reserved for the world’s largest technology companies.
The supercomputer is already delivering real-world outcomes, having supported over 350 projects. Scientists are using it to develop AI tools that could accelerate personalised cancer vaccines by identifying precisely which parts of a tumour the immune system needs to target. Other researchers are applying the system to gain deeper insight into environmental change.
This additional AI computing power is expected to come online as early as Spring 2026 and will help deliver everyday benefits, including:
- faster, more accurate tools that help doctors detect disease much earlier
- smarter technology that reduces waiting times and improves access to public services
- improved climate modelling to help communities prepare for extreme weather
For the first time, UK researchers using AIRR will also gain access to AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs, integrated by Dell Technologies, which supplies the supercomputer infrastructure, alongside an AI software stack from UK SME StackHPC. This enables larger datasets, more ambitious research initiatives, and entirely new categories of projects that were not previously possible.
Stephanie Dismore, Senior Vice President EMEA, AMD said: “At AMD, we are proud to support Cambridge University with the high-performance computing technologies that enable groundbreaking AI research. By combining the power of AMD EPYC processors and AMD Instinct accelerators, we’re helping researchers accelerate scientific discoveries. As AI models grow in complexity, the need for scalable, efficient compute becomes even more vital. This collaboration reflects our commitment to delivering advanced technologies that empower innovation, drive progress, and help solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges through responsible, high-performance computing.”
The investment sits within the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, which is backing British AI with over £2 billion in public compute infrastructure – including expanding AIRR twentyfold by 2030 and building a new national supercomputer in Edinburgh.
Minister for AI Kanishka Narayan, said: “The UK is home to world-class AI talent, but too often our ambitious researchers and most promising startups have been held back by a lack of access to the computing power they need.
“This investment changes that – giving British innovators the tools to compete with the biggest players and develop AI that improves lives, from spotting diseases earlier to helping communities prepare for extreme weather, right across the country.”
Professor Sir John Aston, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, University of Cambridge, commented: “This investment marks an important milestone for the UK’s AI Research Resource, expanding the power of Cambridge’s DAWN supercomputer and strengthening our national computing ecosystem. It will give researchers, clinicians, and innovators the tools they need to drive breakthroughs that improve public services.”
