Procurement

AIRR Expansion AI Cloud Compute

Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-05a227

Description

This notice is to alert the market that the Authority has begun formal market engagement in advance of its procurement for an innovative, scalable and flexible cloud solution to bolster the existing compute capacity of the AI Research Resource (AIRR). The Authority shall procure a solution that seamlessly integrates with the existing AIRRPortal, which is the current method by which users access AIRR's two existing supercomputers: Isambard-AI (at the University of Bristol), and Dawn (at the University of Cambridge).

The Authority has three key objectives for this procurement:

• Expand National AI Compute Capacity

To significantly increase the UK's AI research infrastructure by expanding national compute capacity, supporting the government's long-term ambition to expand to increase capacity twentyfold by 2030.

• Unlock Technological Flexibility and Scalability

Harness the flexibility of and scalability of cloud computing to ensure that AIRR users have timely access to the latest, most advanced hardware, enabling rapid adaptation to evolving research and industry needs.

• Drive Innovation and Societal Impact

Equip UK researchers from academia, public institutions and SMEs with world-class facilities to accelerate innovation and deliver transformative solutions in critical domains such as climate science, energy, medicine, and advanced materials, supporting economic growth and public good through Social Value commitments.

Pursuant to this, the Authority shall be conducting a procurement exercise to secure a contract worth up to £250,000,000 over a period of up to 4 years. The solution must include:

• A baseline capacity of cloud resources accessible to authorised users via the AIRR Portal, either provided directly or via a brokered/multi-cloud provider model;

• On-demand scalability to enable access to additional GPU capacity beyond baseline capacity;

• A managed service that will include secure data storage, orchestration for machine learning workloads, usage monitoring, reporting, demand forecasting and active security management;

• Technical support and integration that shall enable full integration into the existing AIRRPortal.

Out-of-scope aspects include any user assistance not directly related to compute provision, such as support with AIRR access agreements or administration of the AIRRPortal; these functions are handled by UKRI and the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge, who operate the AIRRPortal in collaboration with DSIT.

This notice is solely for the purpose of engaging the market to gather information. It does not constitute a call for competition or form part of a competitive process. Participation in this engagement will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in any future procurement, nor will it bind the Authority to proceed with any specific course or action.

Notices

UK2: Preliminary market engagement notice

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-078492
Published: 1 December 2025, 1:32pm

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UK3: Planned procurement notice

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-060026
Published: 26 September 2025, 10:52am