By Aimee Anderson, News Deputy Editor

The University of Bristol is set to develop a multimillion-pound National AI data facility, which will function as a digital library for researchers across the country. 

The facility will be located at the NCC, next to Isambard-AI. Isambard-AI is the UK’s fastest supercomputer, able to process in one second what it would take the entire global population 80 years to achieve. 

The digital library will ‘enable the UK’s most valuable data assets and largest data sets to be processed at record speed by Isambard-AI… unlocking the full potential of the government’s £225m investment into the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing and Isambard-AI,’ according to Professor Simon McIntosh-Smith, director of the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing.

Through this investment, researchers and industry will be able to harness the potential of AI in fields such as robots, big data, climate research and drug discovery. 

‘Isambard-AI Supercomputer’ | University of Bristol

The development of the data facility comes as part of the UK Government’s AI for Science Strategy, announced November 21. The strategy has two objectives: 

  1. Develop frontier capability in AI-driven science
  2. Ensure the UK retains its position of global scientific leadership

Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol said: ‘As a research-intensive university at the heart of the UK’s AI revolution we support the announcement of the AI for Science Strategy and are pleased to be a key part of this.’

The University of Bristol was chosen to host Isambard-AI due to its long history of world-leading AI research and expertise in high performance computing, according to a University press release.

According to Welch, the data library will contribute further towards ‘establishing Bristol and the UK as an international hub for AI research. This investment will be central to creating a ‘British Library’ for the AI age.’

She described Bristol as a ‘university which will spearhead AI innovation and scientific discovery in important areas such as drug discovery and climate research.’

The University of Bristol’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus is set to open in September 2026 and will specialise in innovation, AI, business, and digital engineering.

Epigram looks inside the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus

Accessible directly from Temple Meads, Epigram was invited to have a sneak peak inside the University’s most adventurous project to date.

University of Bristol identified as key ‘driver of growth’ in new ten year economic strategy

Bristol’s position within the growth strategy reflects recent contributions towards developments in AI, renewable energy, and the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England also said: ‘This investment helps turbo-charge the West’s ambition to establish the UK’s first AI supercluster.’ 

Such ambitions hope to place the region ‘as a world-leading hub for AI research, innovation and adoption’, according to the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority’s growth strategy, published in September. The strategy sees the development of AI as a key aspect of the West of England’s potential to ‘power the UK’s next wave of growth.’

Richard Oldfield, Chief Executive of the NCC, described the library as ‘another step in making the West of England a place where serious discovery and innovation gets done.’

Featured image: NCC