NVIDIA unveils UKs fastest and one of the worlds most efficient supercomputers

NVIDIA and the University of Bristol have unveiled what is now the United Kingdom's fastest supercomputer, as well as one of the most energy-efficient supercomputers globally.

NVIDIA has taken to its blog to announce the Isambard-AI supercomputer, which features 5,448 NVIDIA Grace Hopper superchips that are cooled through a series of liquid-cooled HPE server cabinets, each containing 440 GPUs.

The system is designed for research purposes and will be utilized to investigate topics spanning from materials science to the discovery of new drugs aimed at maintaining a healthy human population. Moreover, the system was assembled in under two years, whereas typical projects of this size typically take around three years to complete.

The Numbers

• 21 exaflops of AI performance
• 5,448 NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips
• Set to rank 11th worldwide on the latest TOP500 list of world's fastest supercomputers
• More than 10x faster than the next-fastest supercomputer in the U.K. More computing power than all other U.K. supercomputers combined
• Ranked fourth globally for energy efficiency

Researchers will need to apply for access to the new supercomputer through the UK government's Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology. Notably, supercomputers such as this typically don't perform one task at one time, as the system is capable of running multiple processes simultaneously at any given time.

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The Isambard-AI supercomputer is a relatively small supercomputer when compared to the larger systems owned by Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft, as Isambard-AI only uses 5 megawatts of power. In contrast, the other systems can utilize gigawatts of power.

University of Bristol professor Simon McIntosh-Smith explained that the team opted for a liquid cooling solution because it enabled them to fit more GPUs into the smaller space, while also improving the system's overall efficiency. Moreover, the university is currently developing a program that utilizes the hot water generated by the supercomputer and distributes it to campus facilities, as well as to surrounding homes and businesses.