Robertson Construction Central East has broken ground on the site of the UK’s most powerful computer in Edinburgh, marking a major step towards boosting the nation’s research and innovation capacity.

The project builds on Robertson's 2021 delivery of an extension to the University of Edinburgh’s Advanced Computing Facility.

The UK's next National Supercomputer – owned by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and hosted at the University of Edinburgh – is intended to unlock breakthroughs in areas including aircraft engineering, modelling extreme weather events and accelerating cancer drug discovery.

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Backed by up to £750 million of UK Government investment, the machine represents a significant uplift in national compute capability and is expected to reinforce the UK’s leadership in supercomputing, seen as crucial to driving economic growth.

Locating the system in Scotland supports sustainability goals, with cooler ambient air helping to reduce cooling needs. This is combined with advanced cooling technology to cut overall energy use.

Efficiency is central to the design. Surplus heat will be captured to warm University buildings, and research will assess whether heating mine-water in disused mines could also help supply nearby homes.

Site demolition has been kept to a minimum to lower environmental impact. Further sustainability measures with the construction team include tree planting, protecting ancient trees and conservation initiatives for local wildlife.