The UK’s AI research landscape is set to get a major lift with a £36 million government investment to supercharge one of the country’s most powerful computing resources. The funding will increase Cambridge’s DAWN supercomputer’s capacity by six times, bringing cutting-edge artificial intelligence compute power to British researchers and start-ups and helping the nation stay at the forefront of global innovation.
Located at the University of Cambridge and part of the national AI Research Resource (AIRR), DAWN already supports hundreds of research projects across healthcare, climate science, public services and more. With this expansion, even more advanced work will be possible, as the system gets upgraded with the latest high-performance AI chips and infrastructure.
Crucially, the enhanced computing power will be offered to UK scientists, entrepreneurs and small businesses at no cost through AIRR, giving them access to tools normally only available to the world’s biggest tech companies. This will help level the playing field for innovators across the country and fuel breakthroughs in fields from earlier disease detection to smarter environmental modelling.
The investment underlines the government’s commitment to nurturing homegrown talent and boosting Britain’s position in the global AI ecosystem. It forms part of the broader AI Opportunities Action Plan, which is backing public AI infrastructure with more than £2 billion of support, including plans for future national computing facilities.
Leaders at Cambridge and across industry have welcomed the announcement, describing the upgrade as a transformative step for UK science and technology. With the enhanced DAWN supercomputer operational by Spring 2026, the country’s researchers will be better equipped than ever to tackle complex challenges and develop technologies that benefit society.
