Work to begin on £30m supercomputing centre

Construction work is set to start on a £30m supercomputing centre at Sci-Tech Daresbury.The facility is part of the £210m Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation (HNCDI), comprising £172m in Government funding via UK Research and Innovation and a £38m in-kind contribution from IBM.The planning and preparatory work of the 33,000 sq ft supercomputing operation is now complete and building work is imminent.Several of the key partners in the project used the 60th anniversary of the Daresbury Laboratory last week to take part in a photoshoot to mark the milestone.The HNCDI is bringing together expertise with innovative artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing technology. It will give the public and private sectors access to computing designed to aid breakthroughs in discovery and innovation.The joint programme between the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and IBM, will expand to include 60 additional scientists, to join the 130 existing staff within the Hartree Centre, which is part of STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory at Sci-Tech Daresbury.The supercomputing centre will build on the research carried out at Daresbury Laboratory since 1962, which has helped in the creation of new cancer therapies, cleaner fuel and energy.Paul Vernon, head of STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory said: “Every day there’s incredible research happening right here which has the potential to improve our lives. We remain today as committed as we have ever been to supporting excellent research and providing access to world-class research facilities and expertise to solve real world challenges.”