Rachel Carr is an in-house writer for EME Outlook Magazine, where she is responsible for interviewing corporate executives and crafting original features for the magazine, corporate...
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Over the next five years, AMD will invest substantially in advanced AI research and computing in the UK, partnering with leading institutions. This initiative aims to enhance the country’s AI infrastructure, foster workforce development, and drive long-term economic growth through cutting-edge technology and strategic collaborations.
£2 billion investment over five years to support advanced computing, scientific research, and workforce development throughout the UK.
New strategic partnerships with Imperial College London and Oriole Networks will advance research in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and next-generation computing.
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) and Dell Technologies are collaborating with the University of Cambridge on the Zenith AI supercomputer and the Sunrise fusion AI system, contributing to the expansion of the UK’s sovereign AI infrastructure.
AMD Instinct™ graphics processing units (GPUs), AMD EPYC™ central processing units (CPUs), and AMD Radeon Open Compute (ROCm™) open software will support projects in scientific research, healthcare, public sector innovation, and AI-driven discoveries.
AMD has announced plans to invest up to £2 billion in the UK over the next five years.
This investment aims to accelerate AI innovation and research whilst expanding access to the computational resources necessary for long-term economic growth and scientific leadership throughout the country.
EMPOWERING AND ELEVATING THE FUTURE
During London Tech Week, AMD Chair and CEO Dr Lisa Su discussed a range of investments and strategic partnerships aimed at accelerating the UK’s AI ecosystem.
These efforts seek to enhance access to advanced computing resources crucial to scientific discovery and innovation in the public sector.
The initiatives align with the UK’s AI Opportunities Action Plan and AI Hardware Strategy, which support broader national goals of building world-class AI infrastructure, developing technical talent, and fostering the adoption of AI technologies.
“The United Kingdom has the talent, research excellence, and ambition to help lead the next era of AI. AMD is proud to deepen our commitment to the UK and work with partners across government, academia and industry to expand access to the compute infrastructure needed to advance sovereign AI, accelerate discovery and drive long-term economic growth.”
UK government officials hailed the announcement as a major advancement in enhancing the nation’s AI infrastructure, research ecosystem, and long-term economic competitiveness.
“This investment is a major vote of confidence in Britain’s place as a global AI superpower. We’ve got the talent, the world-class universities and the ambition to lead, and partnerships like this help turn that potential into real progress. It will drive more cutting-edge research here in the UK, open up opportunities for people to build the skills they need for the jobs of the future, and speed up breakthroughs that can improve people’s lives and grow our economy.” ”
“This investment reflects the strength of Britain’s talent, research and ambition in AI – but also the infrastructure we are putting in place to match it. With world-class chip designers, leading universities, and partners such as AMD choosing to invest here, we are building the compute capability needed to power innovation, drive growth, create jobs, and ensure the most advanced AI technologies are developed in the UK.”
The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology
This new partnership aims to advance computational science and support research that requires large-scale computing resources, particularly in fields such as healthcare innovation and climate modelling.
Additionally, AMD and Imperial College plan to explore ways to optimise AI models, scientific workflows, and data-intensive applications using AMD compute platforms and the AMD ROCm™ open software.
AMD is partnering with Oriole Networks to support the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) Scaling Inference Lab, a national initiative to address critical bottlenecks in AI infrastructure.
This collaboration combines Oriole’s PRISM photonic networking architecture with AMD Instinct™ GPUs and AMD EPYC™ processors to explore new methods for scaling inference workloads. The goal is to improve performance and energy efficiency while reducing latency.
This initiative is set to contribute to what is anticipated to be the world’s first large-scale AI system powered by a purely photonic network. This is an important step toward developing infrastructure technologies that can support future generations of AI systems in the UK.
EXPANDING NATIONAL CAPACITY
AMD and Dell Technologies are collaborating with the University of Cambridge to enhance the UK’s national AI infrastructure.
This initiative includes the development of the new Zenith AI supercomputer and the Sunrise fusion AI system, in partnership with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).
Zenith is a significant AI-for-science platform funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It is designed and operated by the University of Cambridge, utilising technology from AMD and Dell.
Sunrise is another AI supercomputer currently under construction, also powered by AMD and Dell, and part of a long-standing partnership between UKAEA and the University of Cambridge, specifically dedicated to fusion research.
Furthermore, it is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
Together, these systems support a wide range of AI-for-science applications, including healthcare research, climate modelling, materials science, engineering simulations, fusion research, and the development of scientific AI models.
SUPPORTING THE UK’S AI INFRASTRUCTURE
By investing strategically and fostering research and ecosystem partnerships, AMD is enhancing the UK’s computing capabilities and supporting the next generation of scientific and technological advancements.
AMD will continue to collaborate with the government, academia, and industry to strengthen the foundations for long-term competitiveness and global leadership in AI.
This article was produced by the editorial team at EME Outlook and published as part of the Outlook Publishing global network of B2B industry magazines.
Outlook Publishing delivers industry insights, company stories, and sector coverage across manufacturing, mining, construction, healthcare, supply chains, food production, and sustainability.
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Rachel Carr is an in-house writer for EME Outlook Magazine, where she is responsible for interviewing corporate executives and crafting original features for the magazine, corporate brochures, and the digital platform.
