UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced a £76 million investment to launch four new National Compute Resources (NCR).
Significant funding for national computing will provide the powerful “digital engine” needed to solve some of society’s biggest challenges, from health care to climate change.
Richard Gunn, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Program Director, explains:
“By establishing these four national computing resources, we will directly deliver the goals set out in the UK Computing Roadmap 2025 and provide the ‘foundation’ infrastructure needed to push the boundaries of UK research. ”
A new era in British studies
This £76m of public investment is the first major step in delivering the UK Computing Roadmap, a national plan launched in July 2025 to make the UK a world leader in high-tech research.
Supercomputing was once limited to niche technical fields, but these four new resources are designed for everyone in the research community.
Whether scientists are mapping the human genome, engineers are designing greener airplanes, or historians are analyzing large digital archives, these resources provide the processing power you need.
Why is British computing so important?
“Computing” is essentially the large-scale digital processing power needed to process data and run complex simulations.
By investing in these four different computing resources, UKRI is enabling researchers to access:
Variety of technologies: Different types of hardware for specific research needs. Easier access: A simplified system that more researchers can benefit from, including those who have never used a supercomputer before. Long-term support: This funding covers both high-tech equipment and professional services for five years (until 2031).
Driving growth across key UK industries
These new resources will work alongside the UK’s existing flagship AI and supercomputing services.
By making this power more widely available, the program aims to accelerate the path from great ideas to real-world breakthroughs, drive economic growth and keep the UK at the cutting edge of science.
Complex computing systems lead the way.
NCR is led by the following universities:
University of Birmingham (GPU-based NCR system) University of Cambridge (GPU-based NCR system) University of Edinburgh (CPU-based NCR system) University College London (CPU-based NCR system)
GPUs (graphics processing units) are specialized for processing many tasks at once. This makes it ideal for cutting-edge artificial intelligence and data-intensive research, such as simulating molecular interactions to accelerate drug discovery and statistical analysis of large data sets.
These computing resources will provide massively parallel processing power, further increasing the UK’s ability to drive research and innovation.
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the versatile “brain” of your computer. CPU-based systems are ideal for traditional scientific simulations, engineering calculations, and general-purpose research.
These computing resources provide fast, reliable power for a wide range of academic and industrial applications, from high-level decision-making to structural modeling.
“These resources are designed to be truly user-centric, offering a diverse architecture that is accessible to the broader community, from climate scientists to AI researchers,” Gunn said.
“By lowering the barriers to high-performance computing, we are not only advancing knowledge, but also driving economic growth and providing tools to solve complex challenges across all sectors of society.”
What’s next?
Four national computing resources will be fully operational for researchers by 2026/27, with at least two expected to be commissioned in summer 2026.
To help researchers make the most of this technology, UKRI will also be launching a community center of excellence.
They provide expert training and support to help a wider range of people use these digital tools to advance their work. More information about Community Centers of Excellence will be shared in the coming months.
Mr Gunn concluded: “This program represents a major shift in the UK’s computing capabilities, establishing a more accessible and sustainable computing environment in the UK and enhancing the way we support researchers and innovators.”
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