I have experienced many transformative technological changes in computing throughout my career, but at no time have I felt the immensity of the technological opportunity that we have now. 

Professor Zoubin Ghahramani

The Independent Review of The Future of Compute looks at the UK’s compute needs, develops cost-effective solutions to ensure researchers and industry have what they need to lead the way, and informs a long-term plan for the UK.

Advanced compute – the large-scale processing power, memory and data storage that is used to tackle tasks beyond the capabilities of everyday computers – is an important component of our digital infrastructure and a building block for future capability. It is becoming essential to biology, chemistry, physics, and nearly every other area of research and can also increase business innovation by enhancing R&D and product design processes, driving economic growth and productivity.

In an open letter to The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Professor Ghahramani said our dependence on compute will only grow, having “witnessed the transformative potential of compute first hand”, following three decades in academia, and more recently in the technology industry as Vice President of Research at Google.

“I have experienced many transformative technological changes in computing throughout my career, but at no time have I felt the immensity of the technological opportunity that we have now,” he said.

Professor Ghahramani defines compute as consisting of three broad areas which are converging: first is compute for AI; second is compute for modelling and simulation; and third is cloud computing.

In order for the UK to cement its position as a “Science and Technology Superpower”, Professor Ghahramani makes specific recommendations to the government that he believes are essential to unlocking the world-leading high-growth potential of the UK. These include but are not limited to:

1. The need for a strategic vision, roadmap and national coordination.
    
   “The UK’s public compute infrastructure is fragmented and we do not currently have a long-term plan,” he said. “We need a national coordination body to deliver the vision for compute that can provide long-term stability and adapt to the rapid pace of change in compute technology.”
    
2. Making immediate investments in the path to ‘exascale’ compute, a new level of supercomputing, using a phased approach outlined in the Review, “so that we are not falling behind our peers”, he said.
    
3. The need to increase capacity for AI research immediately to power the UK’s impressive AI research community and plan for further AI capacity as part of our exascale system.

Following the publication of the Review in March 2023, the Chancellor confirmed in his UK Spring Budget, investment of around £900 million into a new exascale supercomputer, one that is several times more powerful than the UK’s existing top supercomputers. The UK will become one of only a handful of countries in the world to host an exascale computer.

Also announced by the Chancellor in his Spring Budget was a £1 million prize for the best research in AI. The ‘Manchester Prize’, as it will be known, will be awarded every year for the next 10 years. The announcement of this Prize follows one of Professor Ghahramani’s recommendations in the Review for further investment and support for AI.

And in April 2023, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan announced £100 million in funding for an expert taskforce to help the UK build and adopt the next generation of safe AI – helping to cement the UK’s position as a science and technology superpower by 2030.

Adapted from a publication by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.