
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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