Inside the UK's fastest supercomputer: Isambard AI

Inside the UK's fastest supercomputer: Isambard AI

From Technology Now by Hewlett Packard Enterprise

May 21, 2026 · 22 min · Episode 160

About this episode

The episode explores the UK's fastest supercomputer, Isambard AI, and features insights from Professor Simon McIntosh-Smith.

Hidden in the corner of a carpark in Bristol lies Isambard AI, the UK’s fastest supercomputer. This week, Technology Now is visiting Isambard AI to find out how the system works, how it was designed and assembled in a modular way, and to discover what sort of projects it runs. Professor Simon McIntosh-Smith, Director of the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing, tells us more. This is Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Every week, hosts Michael Bird and Sam Jarrell look at a story that's been making headlines, take a look at the technology behind it, and explain why it matters to organizations. This episode is available in both video and audio formats. About Simon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonmcintoshsmith/ Sources: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/research/centres/bristol-supercomputing/articles/2025/isambard-ai-launches-july-2025.html https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/studies/broadband-speed-statistics/

People in this episode

Hosts: Michael Bird, Sam Jarrell

Guest: Simon McIntosh-Smith

Topics covered

  • supercomputing
  • technology
  • AI
  • Bristol
  • modular design
  • research projects

Keywords

  • supercomputer
  • Isambard AI
  • Bristol Centre for Supercomputing
  • technology
  • AI projects
  • modular design

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Products: Isambard AI

Places: Bristol

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