Isambard AI

Descriptions

Isambard-AI is a new GPU-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) computing system to deliver a national AI Research Resource (AIRR) for the UK, as recommended in the “Independent Review of The Future of Compute: Final report and recommendations ”, and to support the Frontier AI safety taskforce. This new AIRR will support several initiatives, particularly on AI safety and foundational models, where the UK aims to establish a leadership position. Isambard-AI will be delivered as a “self-contained unit”.The RFP and Contract covers, in summary, the following mandatory requirements:1. The scale-out GPU-based production system2. An early access GPU-based system with AI storage3. High performance network fabric4. System management support for multi-tenancy:5. Support for 5 years of service6. One or more self-contained units7. Energy efficiency8. Storage solutions optimised for AI training and inference9. AI supercomputing facility access and gateway nodes10. Data Centre Connectivity and Edge Router for Services11. UPS12. Data transfer and mover tool13. Software and licenses14. Security monitoring, auditing and compliance15. Monitoring, reporting and RAS tools16. Eventual decommissioning17. Training / handover18. Environmental impact