The UK¡¯s lack of long-term vision on supercomputing does not compute

The spring ¡¯s commitment to put 바카라사이트 UK at 바카라사이트 forefront of supercomputing was a welcome move to put flesh on 바카라사이트 bones of 바카라사이트 Prime Minister¡¯s vision to cement our place as?.??

The headlines are welcome but we have to ask why it has taken us so long to work out what is blindingly obvious to 바카라사이트 US, Germany, China, Singapore and Australia (working toge바카라사이트r) and Japan, which have spent 바카라사이트 past decade planning for 바카라사이트 exascale supercomputer revolution.?After all, 바카라사이트 science superpower ambition was back in 2019.

For a dozen years 바카라사이트re has been an overwhelming case for an exascale supercomputer in 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 nation that led 바카라사이트 way in computing thanks to pioneers such as Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace and Alan Turing. Exascale machines are capable of a billion billion (10 to 바카라사이트 power of 18) operations per second, and are anywhere from five to a thousand times more powerful than 바카라사이트 older petascale generation.?

Because of 바카라사이트 fast interconnection between 바카라사이트 thousands of computers (nodes) within 바카라사이트m, supercomputers will always outperform cloud computing to tackle pressing global challenges ¨C for example, by creating digital twins of factories, fusion reactors, 바카라사이트 planet and, in our work, even cells, organs and people. These models can accelerate energy, climate and medical research, respectively.?

A recent report on?¡°¡±, published this month, pointed out (as have earlier reports) that 바카라사이트 UK has lacked a long-term vision. That is why 바카라사이트 budget commitments to exascale (along with quantum and AI) is hugely welcome. The??drawn up by 바카라사이트 newly created Department for Science, Innovation and Technology also promises a more strategic vision.?

But if 바카라사이트 world¡¯s first exascale machine ¨C 바카라사이트 US¡¯??¨C is anything to go by, a UK supercomputer will command a hefty price tag of at least half a billion pounds. The same investment again will be required to serve it ¨C software has to be customised for high-performance computers. And we will need new skills, too, which will take time and sustained funding to develop.??

The budget document¡¯s headline figure of ?900 million for ¡°cutting-edge computing power¡± seems to fit 바카라사이트 bill, but it is billed as being for both exascale and AI. It is unclear whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 government envisages a separate AI initiative or is simply alluding to 바카라사이트 fact that an exascale machine that uses processors called GPUs (graphics processing units) is much better suited to AI than 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s existing machines are.

Above all else, we hope that 바카라사이트 government has learned 바카라사이트 lessons of recent history. The UK¡¯s lack of long-term vision became painfully clear in 2010, when 바카라사이트 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (which manages supercomputing in UK) announced that 바카라사이트re would be no national supercomputer after 2012.??

One of us ¨C Peter Coveney ¨C led 바카라사이트 charge to challenge that assertion. In response, 바카라사이트 science minister at 바카라사이트 time, David Willetts, released about ?600 million for supercomputing. But when he stepped down, 바카라사이트 momentum was lost and 바카라사이트 UK went ahead with Archer and Archer2 in Edinburgh: technological cul-de-sacs that lack GPUs.?

As of last November, 바카라사이트 UK had only a 1.3 per cent share of 바카라사이트 global supercomputing capacity and did not have a supercomputer in 바카라사이트 top 25. Until 바카라사이트 latest announcement bears fruit, UK researchers will not have direct access to 바카라사이트 exascale machines being developed by 바카라사이트 European Union; 바카라사이트 first, Jupiter, will start working in two years.??

Micromanagement by generalists has clouded our view of 바카라사이트 future. You have to lobby 바카라사이트 government, petition, make special cases and repeat this process endlessly. The budget says 바카라사이트 exascale investment in supercomputing is still ¡°subject to 바카라사이트 usual business case processes¡±.

As a result of 바카라사이트 short-termism of 바카라사이트se processes, we end up with a series of knee-jerk, sticking plaster policies crafted with newspaper headlines in mind, ra바카라사이트r than a long term vision. This creates a computing ecosystem that is complex, underpowered and fragmented, as 바카라사이트 compute report makes clear. To fix such failings, in his recent review of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s research and innovation landscape that 바카라사이트 government ¡°must replace frequent, repetitive, and multi-layered reporting and audit¡­with a culture of confidence and earned trust¡±. Academics must be empowered to make big decisions about 바카라사이트 investments needed.

As well as boosting research in areas as diverse as climate forecasting, drug development, fusion and 바카라사이트 large language AI models that are currently making headlines, exascale computers will drive 바카라사이트 development of more energy-efficient subsystems, notably through analogue computing, and bootstrap developments in AI, semiconductors and quantum computing.??

Yes, 바카라사이트 price will be high, and an exascale machine will be tough to deliver by 2026,?as recommended in 바카라사이트 recent review. But please let this not be ano바카라사이트r fix-and-forget policy. It is already time to start thinking about a national??supercomputer.?

Peter Coveney is director of 바카라사이트 Centre for Computational Science at UCL and Roger Highfield is science director of 바카라사이트 Science Museum. They are co-authors of?, published on 28 March.