Summary
- The grant competition opened on 11 November and closes at midday on 25 November 2026.
- Hosts must provide 10MW of IT capacity initially, expanding to 30MW, supported by firm network import offers of 14MVA and 41MVA respectively.
- Funding covers eligible hosting infrastructure and associated facility costs, but excludes the supercomputer hardware and separately procured system services.
The UK government has opened a grant competition offering up to approximately £180m to establish the data centre infrastructure needed to host a new national AI supercomputer.
The competition forms part of the AI Research Resource programme and seeks an eligible UK research organisation capable of providing the facility, supporting infrastructure, and operational services needed for a heterogeneous computing system.
Applicants must demonstrate that they can deliver an initial 10MW of IT power capacity by 31 December 2027, expanding to a total of 30MW by 31 March 2029.
The competition opened on 11 November and closes at midday on 25 November. Applicants are expected to be notified of the outcome by 8 January 2027, with a grant agreement targeted for signature later that month.
Funding is intended to support the physical host facility, including construction or modification, electrical distribution, cooling, networking, security, site preparation, and eligible facility services.
The grant does not pay for the supercomputer hardware or its separately arranged procurement, integration, acceptance, and user-facing services. The published funding information also distinguishes the host facility's eligible operating expenditure from wider system-level support arrangements.
The proposed funding is conditional on approvals and completion of the award process. No host has yet been selected under the competition.
Firm electricity capacity is a selection requirement
Applicants must hold written, verifiable evidence of a distribution network operator connection offer securing at least 14MVA of firm import capacity for the initial phase and 41MVA for the second.
Those figures describe electrical import capability in megavolt-amperes, while the 10MW and 30MW milestones relate to IT power load. They are different measures and should not be used interchangeably.
Electricity availability is a central requirement because a suitable building cannot operate high-density computing equipment without adequate supply for the IT systems and their supporting plant.
Cooling equipment will also need to accommodate substantial thermal loads, potentially including liquid cooling for specialised processors. The host must therefore coordinate the design of the facility with the technical requirements of hardware that is being procured through separate programmes.
Electrical resilience, monitoring, fire protection, and physical security form part of that infrastructure. Applicants must also demonstrate access to high-performance networking, including connectivity with Janet and other national research networks.
These systems affect when a computing facility can enter service. Completed building works alone do not establish readiness if electrical infrastructure, mechanical systems, or data connections remain unavailable.
The competition asks for verifiable experience delivering comparable facilities, including management of contractors, equipment procurement, and long-lead mechanical and electrical components.
Research organisations may use commercial partners
Eligible higher education institutions and public sector research establishments can apply directly or lead qualifying consortia. Commercial colocation providers may participate as partners, subject to the specified UK incorporation and operating requirements.
The lead applicant must demonstrate experience operating major research computing services and provide formal backing from senior institutional leadership.
Consortia must submit a signed memorandum of understanding with their application, with a binding collaboration agreement required before grant award.
The system will form part of the national AI Research Resource, which includes established computing infrastructure at UK research institutions and is intended to expand access to advanced hardware for scientific and AI research.
The proposed architecture includes conventional computing capabilities alongside specialised technologies, with equipment requirements expected to develop through procurement.
That flexibility creates an additional challenge for the host. Electrical and cooling systems must be planned for equipment whose detailed configurations may change as the programme develops.
Construction and commissioning timetables therefore need to accommodate both the defined infrastructure milestones and the separate delivery of computing equipment.
The competition offers a route to fund those facilities, but applicants must already demonstrate a credible path to securing the required power, expertise, and site readiness.
Its closing date of 25 November leaves a short application period. The award decision will establish the proposed location, while the subsequent electrical, engineering, and commissioning milestones will determine when the national computing capacity can become operational.
