AMD to invest £2bn in Britain over five years to build AI supercomputers, including projects at Cambridge and for nuclear fusion research

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a rival to Nvidia, announced on Monday it would invest £2bn in UK-based programmes in the next five years. The investment includes a new supercomputer at the University of Cambridge called Zenith, and a government-backed computer with the UK Atomic Energy Authority called Sunrise, designed to advance nuclear fusion research.

Sunrise will be the most powerful supercomputer in the world dedicated to fusion power. Nuclear fusion is technology based on harnessing reactions that take place at the centre of the sun to provide almost limitless clean energy.

AMD's move comes as the UK government confirmed it would start buying AI chips from local start-ups, with Sir Keir Starmer announcing £400m spending on AI chips to create a 'national capability' and keep British tech companies in the country.