Wednesday October 15th 2025
Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre's (EPCC) Celebrates AI Supercomputer system for large AI model training
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
A new multi-million-pound European project aiming to boost the adoption of AI among businesses and researchers will be based at Edinburgh University, aiming to help unlock ‘untapped economic and scientific potential’.
Based at Edinburgh University’s EPCC (Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre) in Midlothian, the UK’s first National Supercomputing Centre has won EU and UK Government funding to establish and operate the £8.6 million ‘UK AI Factory Antenna’ (UKAIFA).
Led by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), the initiative aims to focus on helping organisations take their first steps in AI with goals of increasing literacy in technology and its use alongside showing organisations how AI can help increase productivity, beginning operations in the new year.
Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, explained:
“This significant investment underlines Edinburgh’s world-leading capabilities in supercomputing and AI.
“It also shows the important role universities have in deepening our understanding of cuttinhg-edge technologies, blazing a trail for industry and the public sector, leading to economic growth and job creation. We are delighted with the funding and look forward to working with our partners.”
It has been announced that the UK AI Factory Antenna will employ a new team of 20 full-time staff, alongside developing a set of services for the UK’s start-up businesses, SMEs and larger industrial companies.
The AI Factory Antenna is part of the European Union’s AI Factories initiative, which fosters innovation, collaboration and research in the field of AI by bringing together computing, data and talent to develop AI for the benefit of all.
AI Factory Antennas allow countries outside the EU, such as the UK, to partner with an AI Factory to bring the benefits to their countries.
The UK’s AI Factory Antenna at EPCC is collaborating with the HammerHAI AI Factory, based at and coordinated by the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS), Germany’s first National Supercomputing Centre, in partnership with a consortium of leading German academic research centres.
EPCC Director and UKAIFA Lead Coordinator, Professor Mark Parsons, explained:
“EPCC and HLRS have led the use of national supercomputing services in Europe by industry over the past 30 years.
“The emergence of AI as a key application of supercomputing, and this funding from EuroHPC and the UK Government, is now enabling our organisations to embark on this new collaboration.”
The UK Government selected EPCC to lead the UK’s bid to secure an AI Factory Antenna through a competitive expression of interest process.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will contribute £2.5m of the funding.
UK Government AI Minister, Kanishka Narayan, explained:
“This is another step in our plan to transform the UK into an AI maker. 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.
“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.”
Tweet Share on Facebook
