The UK government is investing £45m in a supercomputer based in the country’s first designated AI Growth Zone at the UK Atomic Energy Authority campus in Culham, Oxfordshire.
Called Sunrise, the 1.4MW supercomputer was announced as part of the government Fusion Strategy, a document outlining how the UK aims to grow the fusion industry.
With an operational target of June 2026, the government hopes Sunrise will become the world’s most powerful AI supercomputer dedicated to fusion energy.
The funding will come from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), which is making the investment in the hopes that the new machine will tackle key fusion energy challenges in areas such as plasma turbulence.
“We can be proud that Britain will lead the way on research, innovation and skills for a future of limitless fusion energy,” said Science Minister Lord Vallance.
“By backing our fusion industry, we are not only securing our future energy independence, but from innovation and research to engineers, we are also providing the skilled clean energy jobs of the future for British people.”
DESNZ also said that Sunrise will strengthen the AI capabilities at Culham Campus, in support of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, which created the AI Growth Zone designations.
Culham was the first area named as an AI Growth Zone, receiving the designation in early 2025. Since then areas in North Wales, South Wales, the North East of England and Lanarkshire in Scotland have also been named.
Sunrise will see collaboration between DESNZ, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), AMD, Intel, Dell Technologies, UKAEA, the University of Cambridge and WEKA.
“Sunrise is a bold step in advancing fusion energy and AI innovation, made possible through close collaboration and shared ambition,” said Tari Hussain, UK head of public sector at Dell Technologies.
“At Dell Technologies, we’re helping turn this vision into reality with advanced AI and storage solutions that enable the UK to tackle complex challenges and accelerate a sustainable energy future.”
