25 June 2026
Milestone for UK’s £750m supercomputer as turf cut in Edinburgh
Robertson Construction Central East has begun construction on the site of the UK’s most powerful computer, which experts are hailing as a milestone moment as the country moves a step closer to turbo-charging its capacity for research and innovation.
The new building follows on from the construction of the extension of the University’s Advanced Computing Facility, completed by Robertson in 2021.
The UK’s next National Supercomputer – owned by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and hosted at the University of Edinburgh – is set to empower world-changing discoveries in globally significant fields such as aircraft engineering, extreme weather events and drug discovery for cancer.
The machine – made possible by an investment of up to £750 million from the UK Government – marks a step-change in the country’s compute power and will cement the UK’s status as a leader in supercomputing, which experts agree is critical to driving economic growth.
Having the supercomputer sited in Scotland has been a benefit to sustainability concerns thanks to its cooler air, with nature offering a simple solution to cool the system, combined with leading-edge cooling technology reducing the energy required.
Environmental considerations are at the forefront of the new supercomputer’s design, which will be more efficient than existing models, with surplus heat generated being used to warm University buildings and research planned to assess if it could also be used to warm local homes, by warming mine-water in disused mines.
Site demolition has been kept to a minimum to reduce environmental impacts and a number of sustainability projects are planned with the construction team, including tree planting, protecting ancient trees, and conservation projects for local wildlife.
Elliot Robertson, Chief Executive Officer of Robertson Group, said: “Five years ago, we completed the extension to the University’s Advanced Computing Facility. Today, we are building on that legacy with a facility that will house the UK’s new national supercomputer.
“This is a project of national significance, creating the infrastructure needed to support research, innovation and discovery across the UK. We value the trust placed in us by the University of Edinburgh and look forward to delivering a high-quality facility that will serve the country for decades to come.”
Professor Mark Parsons, Director of the EPCC at the University of Edinburgh, said: “This marks a profound leap in compute power for the UK. The value of this supercomputer across our society is vast, and will aid strong industry, a healthier economy and a happier population.”
UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said: “Today’s milestone in Edinburgh marks a decisive step in delivering our Compute Roadmap - building the sovereign computing power Britain needs to stay in control of its future in AI and science.
“For decades, Edinburgh has been at the heart of world-leading supercomputing. This new machine takes that further – making sure UK researchers, businesses and innovators have the cutting-edge power they need here in the UK, rather than relying on others.”
Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “It is an honour for the University to be trusted to host this essential piece of UK infrastructure, and a testament to the hard work of everyone involved to help make this happen. It is clear that this investment will strengthen UK science and with our track record in supercomputing, Edinburgh is perfectly placed to host this.”
Image: Sheppard Robson
