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UK Pledges £36 Million to Supercharge Cambridge’s DAWN With Sixfold AI Compute Boost by Spring 2026

The funding is a pillar of a £2 billion plan to scale public AI computing through the AI Research Resource by 2030.

Overview

  • AIRR users will, for the first time, access AMD MI355X accelerators integrated by Dell, enabling larger models and datasets.
  • The upgrade extends free high-performance compute to UK researchers, SMEs and start-ups through the national AIRR program.
  • DAWN has already supported more than 350 projects, including work on personalised cancer vaccines and environmental modelling.
  • The move sits within the AI Opportunities Action Plan, which targets a twentyfold expansion of AIRR by 2030.
  • The government cites stronger computing resilience through technology diversification, alongside plans for a new supercomputer in Edinburgh.