The University of Edinburgh is set to take the lead on a new multi-million-pound European project to accelerate AI use among UK businesses and researchers, and help tap into the technology’s economic and scientific potential.
Home to the UK’s first National Supercomputing Centre, Edinburgh’s EPCC, which operates the Advanced Computing Facility, has won EU and UK Government funding to establish the €10 million (£8.6m) UK AI Factory Antenna (UKAIFA).
The initiative, led by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking, will see each of the thirteen AI Antennas scattered across Europe support the development of national AI ecosystems and provide access to supercomputing resources for research, innovation, and industrial applications.
Edinburgh University’s UKAIFA will focus on helping British organisations take their first steps in AI, improving their literacy in the technology and its use, as well as demonstrating how it can help productivity to deliver growth.
Employing a team of twenty full-time staff, the UKAIFA will develop a set of services for the UK’s start-ups, SMEs, larger industrial companies, and the public sector, aiming to accelerate AI across fields like health, fintech, creative industries, advanced engineering, and robotics.
“This significant investment underlines Edinburgh’s world-leading capabilities in supercomputing and AI,” said Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh.
“It also shows the important role universities have in deepening our understanding of cutting-edge technologies, blazing a trail for industry and the public sector, leading to economic growth and job creation.”
The AI Factory Antenna programme forms part of the EU’s broader AI Factories initiative, designed to unite computing power, data resources, and top-tier talent under one roof to accelerate inclusive AI development.
Crucially, it also opens the door for non-EU countries, like the UK, to connect with the super-computing network of AI Factories across Europe, sharing knowledge and expertise vital to keeping the bloc on par with the growing dominance of the US and China in the AI sphere.
Recommended
With that in mind, the Edinburgh site will be linked to the HammerHAI AI Factory in Germany and follow an approach that focuses on the strengths of each region, including finance, manufacturing, engineering, and research.
“By working with our neighbours, we’ve giving our best and brightest access to the processing power, data and training needed to develop new breakthroughs in everything from healthcare to climate change,” said Kanishka Narayan, the UK Government AI minister.
“Edinburgh is already set to become home to the UK’s most powerful national supercomputer, making it the perfect place to increase the country’s access to compute and strengthen ties with our European partners.”
Related