The government has announced a £36m investment to dramatically expand the AI Research Resource (AIRR) supercomputing capacity at the University of Cambridge, increasing its power sixfold by spring 2026 and giving British researchers and start-ups access to some of the most advanced AI computing technology in the world.

The funding, confirmed on Monday 26 January, will strengthen Cambridge’s role as a national hub for artificial intelligence research and development, while supporting the government’s wider ambition to position the UK as a global leader in AI innovation. The upgrade will significantly expand the availability of cutting-edge computing power, free of charge, to researchers across academia, healthcare, industry and the public sector.

Cambridge is already home to DAWN, one of the UK’s most powerful AI supercomputers and a core component of AIRR, a national programme designed to give British researchers access to the kind of high-performance computing typically reserved for major global technology firms. The new investment will build on this foundation, enabling far larger, more complex and more ambitious AI projects to be undertaken in the UK.

The announcement further reinforces Cambridge’s position at the heart of the Oxford–Cambridge corridor, one of Europe’s most important centres for science, technology and innovation. The region hosts world-leading universities, major research institutions and a fast-growing ecosystem of technology companies, and has become a focal point for government efforts to accelerate economic growth through science and innovation.

As part of the investment, the government will also back a new National Computational Resource supercomputer at Cambridge, further expanding the computing power available to UK scientists. Together with DAWN, the enhanced infrastructure will allow thousands of researchers and start-ups to train larger AI models, process vast datasets and pursue projects that would otherwise be out of reach.

The DAWN supercomputer is already delivering tangible real-world benefits. Since becoming operational, it has supported more than 350 research projects spanning healthcare, climate science and environmental modelling. In medicine, scientists have used the system to develop AI tools that could significantly speed up the creation of personalised cancer vaccines, by identifying which specific parts of a tumour the immune system should target. Other teams have applied the computing power to improve understanding of environmental change, including how ecosystems respond to climate pressures.

With the planned sixfold increase in capacity, researchers are expected to make further advances across a range of fields. The government said the expanded resource will help deliver faster and more accurate tools to support earlier disease detection, smarter digital systems that reduce waiting times and improve public services, and more detailed climate modelling to help communities prepare for extreme weather events.

From spring 2026, UK researchers using AIRR will, for the first time, gain access to AMD’s latest MI355X chips, among the most advanced AI processors currently available. The chips will be integrated by Dell Technologies, which supplies the supercomputer infrastructure. The addition of the new hardware will allow researchers to work with much larger datasets, train more sophisticated AI models and explore entirely new types of research questions.

Officials said the investment is designed not only to support academic research, but also to give British tech start-ups the computational resources they need to scale innovative AI products and compete internationally. By offering free access to high-powered computing, AIRR aims to lower barriers to entry and ensure that cutting-edge AI development is not limited to the largest companies.

The funding forms part of a broader government strategy to back AI as a driver of productivity, public service reform and economic growth. By expanding national computing infrastructure and anchoring it within established research hubs such as Cambridge, ministers hope to accelerate the translation of AI research into practical applications that benefit the economy and society.

With the upgraded supercomputing capacity expected to come online by spring 2026, researchers and start-ups across the UK are preparing for a significant boost in the tools available to develop the next generation of AI technologies.

Minister for AI Kanishka Narayan, said: “The UK is home to world-class AI talent, but too often our ambitious researchers and most promising start-ups have been held back by a lack of access to the computing power they need. This investment changes that – giving British innovators the tools to compete with the biggest players and develop AI that improves lives, from spotting diseases earlier to helping communities prepare for extreme weather, right across the country.”