Bristol Centre for Supercomputing

Advancing research and discovery with high-performance computing

A hub for advanced research technologies

Led by the University of Bristol, the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing builds on the University's expertise in high performance computing, establishing the centre as a leading host for some of the UK’s most sophisticated supercomputers.

With a strong history in AI research, the centre attracted a £225 million UK government investment to develop Isambard-AI, a dedicated AI research supercomputer. Poised to rank among the world’s top 10 supercomputers, Isambard-AI will position the UK as a global leader in AI.

The centre is also home to Isambard 3, a world-class supercomputer, offering over six times the performance of its predecessor, Isambard 2. Built for more traditional computation, Isambard 3 will focus on research in a wide range of areas like clean energy and health.

Isambard-AI

Isambard-AI is set to become the UK’s fastest and most powerful supercomputer, purpose-built for AI research following build completion in Summer 2025. Designed to provide open-source intelligence, it will transform research and drive AI-led breakthroughs in critical areas like automated drug discovery and climate research. There is also significant potential to recycle its heat output for nearby infrastructure.

Built in a climate-controlled modular data centre and backed by cutting-edge Hewlett Packard Enterprise and NVIDIA technology, phase one of Isambard-AI is already up and running, and despite only representing a small part of the overall machine, is currently the second greenest supercomputer in the world and the 128th most powerful.

Isambard 3

The fully operational Isambard 3 is one of the UK's most powerful CPU-based supercomputers, boasting over 55,000 cores and delivering six times the performance of its predecessor, Isambard 2.

It leverages novel technologies including the Arm® Neoverse™-based NVIDIA Grace CPU Superchip, has an expanded storage system to support data-intensive workloads, and is set to support research in diverse fields such as clean energy and medicine.

Isambard 3 is located at the National Composites Centre site alongside Isambard-AI, and shares sustainable qualities, including advanced cooling methods and the ability to recover and reuse waste energy.