The United Kingdom’s fastest artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputer, “Dawn” has been unvieled at the Cambridge Open Zettascale Lab. Dawn is the result of a collaborative venture between the University of Cambridge Research Computing Services, global tech giants Intel, and Dell Technologies.
Under the auspices of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Dawn is poised to significantly bolster the UK’s AI and simulation computing capabilities, catering to both fundamental research and industrial applications. This development promises to expedite research endeavors and stimulate growth within the UK’s knowledge-based economy, with potential breakthroughs anticipated in fields like healthcare, green fusion energy, and climate modeling.
The convergence of Dawn Phase 1 with the previously unveiled Isambard AI supercomputer at the University of Bristol heralds the inception of the AI Research Resource (AIRR), a national facility with a core mission of empowering researchers to harness the full potential of AI. AIRR also dedicates itself to the responsible and secure utilization of this cutting-edge technology.
Dr. Paul Calleja, Director of Research Computing Services at the University of Cambridge, underlines the significance of Dawn Phase 1 in elevating AI and simulation capabilities across the UK. He highlights a promising co-design partnership involving various stakeholders, with plans underway for a Phase 2 supercomputer slated for 2024, featuring tenfold the current performance. The pursuit of Dawn Phase 2 would constitute a significant augmentation of the UK’s AI capabilities and a continuation of this fruitful industry partnership.
Dawn owes its existence to the exceptional collaboration of technical teams from the University, Intel, and Dell Technologies. It harnesses the combined prowess of AI and high-performance computing (HPC) to tackle some of the world’s most intricate challenges.
The announcement of this groundbreaking achievement was made during the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park by Michelle Donelan, Secretary for Science, Innovation, and Technology. She underscores the importance of the UK taking the lead in the secure integration of advanced AI models and ensuring that researchers and scientific talents are equipped with the requisite tools to explore this technology comprehensively.
Professor Emily Shuckburgh, Director of Cambridge Zero and the Institute of Computing for Climate Science, highlights the increasing importance of amalgamating AI and simulation methods in climate research. She expresses optimism that Dawn will empower researchers to effectively address global climate challenges.
Dawn stands as a significant stride toward achieving the quintillion floating point operations per second, also known as exascale. To put this into context, it would require every person on Earth over four years of non-stop calculations to match a single second’s worth of processing power in an exascale system.
Nestled within the Cambridge Open Zettascale Lab, Dawn presently claims the title of the fastest AI supercomputer in the UK. It is primed to handle substantial workloads in both academic research and industrial sectors, marking the initial phase in the evolution of future Exascale systems.
Adam Roe, EMEA HPC Technical Director at Intel, radiates enthusiasm regarding Dawn’s potential to enrich scientific and AI computing capabilities in the UK.
Tariq Hussain, Head of UK Public Sales at Dell Technologies, underscores the significance of collaborative partnerships and inward investments to unlock the UK’s AI potential.
Dr. Rob Akers, Director of Computing Programmes & Senior Fellow at UKAEA, spotlights Dawn’s pivotal role in the UKRI supercomputing ecosystem. Dawn is slated to facilitate collaborations in the realm of fusion energy, characterized as an ‘exascale grand challenge,’ and holds the promise of delivering fusion power to the grid by the 2040s. This monumental achievement is expected to fuel economic growth and the creation of high-value jobs across the UK.
