The UK has switched on its most powerful supercomputer to date, Isambard-AI, a machine purpose-built for artificial intelligence research that now ranks 11th globally in the TOP500 list.

A Major Leap in UK Computing Power

Isambard-AI was officially launched in mid-July at the University of Bristol, marking a significant milestone in the UK’s push to become a global leader in AI and high-performance computing (HPC). Developed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) using its advanced Cray EX architecture, the system is powered by more than 5,400 NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips and is housed within the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing.

Its raw computing performance reaches 216.5 petaflops, with a peak theoretical output of 278.6 petaflops. For comparison, one petaflop equals one quadrillion (that’s 1,000,000,000,000,000) calculations per second … i.e a million billion! To put that in context, Isambard-AI is over ten times more powerful than the UK’s next-fastest system, London’s Njoerd supercluster.

Also, this new machine is not just the fastest in the country, but also ranks sixth in Europe and is currently the fourth greenest supercomputer in the world, according to the Green500 sustainability rankings.

What Exactly Is a Supercomputer?

Supercomputers are specialised computing systems built to process enormous quantities of data at extremely high speed. Unlike everyday computers, which typically operate using a handful of processing cores, supercomputers use thousands, or in Isambard-AI’s case, tens of thousands, to perform vast numbers of calculations in parallel. This makes them indispensable for complex simulations, deep learning models, and data-heavy scientific research.

Isambard-AI is part of the UK’s Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (AIRR), a national programme aimed at making cutting-edge computing capacity available to public researchers and innovators. This includes major UK universities, startups, and even NHS-linked projects.

Built for AI But Designed for More

Although it has been purpose-built with AI workloads in mind, Isambard-AI is also designed to accelerate scientific discovery across a range of domains. For example, early projects already underway include helping researchers at University College London develop faster, more accurate prostate cancer detection systems, and assisting scientists at Liverpool in the discovery of greener, more sustainable industrial materials.

Isambard-AI is also expected to play a role in climate modelling, vaccine research, and training of large language models (LLMs), which require substantial computational resources. These capabilities align with the government’s broader ambitions to use AI to tackle national challenges, such as reducing NHS waiting times and supporting energy transition goals.

Peter Kyle, the UK’s Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, described the supercomputer as a catalyst for national progress: “Today we put the most powerful computer system in the country into the hands of British researchers and entrepreneurs… It will propel the UK to the forefront of AI discovery.”

Bristol at the Centre of UK Supercomputing

Isambard-AI is hosted at the National Composites Centre near Bristol, a strategic choice given the University of Bristol’s long-standing leadership in high-performance computing and AI research. The supercomputer’s name Isambard also comes from Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the pioneering Victorian engineer whose legacy is deeply tied to Bristol through landmark projects like the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Great Western Railway.

The university already operates another major system, Isambard 3, a CPU-based machine aimed at traditional scientific modelling. Together, the two systems provide an integrated platform for advanced research, all with an eye toward sustainability.

According to Professor Simon McIntosh-Smith, Director of the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing, “We built Isambard-AI to serve the UK research community and help solve some of the world’s toughest problems. Seeing it recognised among the world’s best is a real testament to what’s possible when brilliant people come together with a shared vision.”

He also noted the importance of partnerships in realising the project, thanking contributors including HPE, NVIDIA, Arm, DSIT, UKRI, and STFC.

Where It Ranks Globally And Why That Matters

In the June 2025 TOP500 rankings, an internationally respected benchmark for supercomputers, Isambard-AI entered the list at number 11, placing the UK firmly back on the global HPC map.

At the top of the list is El Capitan, a US-based machine boasting an actual performance of 1,742 petaflops. Other American systems, Frontier and Aurora, rank second and third respectively, both operating at the exascale level, a threshold defined as at least 1,000 petaflops. These machines are considerably more powerful, but also reflect much higher investment levels and longer development cycles.

Europe’s top contender, Germany’s JUPITER Booster, ranks fourth, while Italy’s HPC6 (6th) and Leonardo (10th), Switzerland’s Alps (8th), and Finland’s LUMI (9th) also sit in the top 10. Isambard-AI’s arrival just outside this elite group is still a substantial leap for the UK, which in recent years had slipped behind in HPC capacity.

Its global position also supports the UK’s industrial ambition. For example, as the government stated in its July announcement, the goal is not merely to use AI technologies but to become an “AI maker rather than an AI taker”.

A Publicly Funded, Open Access System

The development of Isambard-AI was funded through a £225 million government investment, part of a wider strategy to create national infrastructure for emerging technologies. The system is built to be open-access, meaning academic researchers, public institutions, and SMEs across the UK can apply for use, thereby potentially democratising access to otherwise inaccessible computing power.

Will Work With Dawn

Isambard-AI will work in tandem with Dawn, another AI-focused machine based at the University of Cambridge, though the systems are not physically connected. Both form the initial backbone of the UK’s AIRR initiative, which aims to expand computing resources twenty-fold over the next five years.

Alongside this, the government is investing in skills development, pledging to train 1 million students and 7.5 million adults in AI-related skills in the coming years.

Challenges, Costs and Competition

Despite the achievement, Isambard-AI is not without its challenges. For example, one significant concern is energy use. Supercomputers are notoriously power-hungry, and although Isambard-AI ranks highly for energy efficiency, its environmental impact is still non-trivial. Liquid cooling systems and heat recovery features help mitigate this, but the issue remains a live one, especially as public scrutiny of AI’s environmental footprint increases.

There are also questions about how effectively such a system can be accessed and utilised outside of academia. While the machine is open to UK researchers, some have warned that access processes can be bureaucratic or overly restrictive, potentially limiting SME and startup engagement.

Another challenge lies in keeping pace with international rivals. Although Isambard-AI is the UK’s most powerful supercomputer today, its time at the top may be brief. A £750 million investment in a future exascale system in Edinburgh has already been announced — one that could launch later this decade and potentially place the UK within the top five globally.

David Hogan, NVIDIA’s European Vice President, described Isambard-AI as “a truly transformational machine”, but acknowledged that this is “just a starting point”. For Britain to retain its momentum in AI and supercomputing, further investment, collaboration and long-term strategy will be essential.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Looking ahead, the arrival of Isambard-AI marks a critical inflection point in the UK’s scientific and technological capabilities. With serious backing from government and academia, it gives British researchers and developers access to one of the most powerful computing tools currently available anywhere in the world. That matters not just for scientific prestige, but for practical impact. From accelerating cancer diagnostics to designing greener materials, this machine is already being used to tackle problems with far-reaching consequences.

For UK businesses, particularly in life sciences, clean tech, and AI development, the launch could lower the barriers to entry for high-performance computing. By offering open access through the national AI Research Resource, smaller firms and startups may gain capabilities previously reserved for large institutions or well-funded labs. If the system is made genuinely accessible in practice as well as in principle, it could give British tech innovators a competitive edge in a global market that increasingly depends on large-scale compute.

At the same time, the launch sends a clear signal internationally. After years of falling behind in supercomputing capacity, the UK is now back in contention. Although it still lags behind US and some European systems in raw performance, Isambard-AI has vaulted the UK into the top tier of AI infrastructure providers. The challenge now will be maintaining that momentum. With a more powerful exascale machine already planned in Edinburgh, the question will not just be how fast these systems are, but how effectively they are integrated into wider research and commercial ecosystems.

Isambard-AI shows what’s possible when public investment, private expertise and academic leadership align around a shared goal. The task now is to ensure it delivers not just world-class performance, but world-class value.

Dutch file-sharing platform WeTransfer has sparked uproar after quietly adding language to its terms of service suggesting it could use customer files to train AI models, then swiftly removing the clause following backlash.

What Users Spotted and Why It Sparked Alarm

The controversy erupted in mid-July when eagle-eyed WeTransfer users, including high-profile creatives, flagged an update to the company’s terms of service set to take effect on 8 August 2025. In particular, Section 6.3 introduced wording that granted WeTransfer a “perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable licence” to use uploaded files for operating and developing the service, including, crucially, to “improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process.”

To many, that appeared to signal a quiet expansion of rights that could allow WeTransfer to use (or even monetise) user-uploaded content for artificial intelligence (AI) training.

Among the concerned voices was UK children’s author and illustrator Sarah McIntyre, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to say: “I pay you to shift my big artwork files. I DON’T pay you to have the right to use them to train AI or print, sell and distribute my artwork and set yourself up as a commercial rival to me.”

It seems that such concerns weren’t unfounded. The clause appeared to echo patterns seen elsewhere in the tech world, where companies including Zoom, Adobe, Slack and Dropbox have faced recent backlash over vague or overly broad licensing updates connected to AI development. As AI tools become more powerful and accessible, the question of whose data fuels them, and with what consent, has become a flashpoint in digital rights and trust.

Why This Matters for Business Users

For many creatives and businesses, WeTransfer has long positioned itself as a privacy-respecting, user-friendly alternative to more data-hungry services. Its clean interface, strong brand identity, and explicit support for the creative industries made it especially popular with freelancers, studios, and design teams.

However, as a result of this latest incident, that trust now appears to be under scrutiny. If the AI clause had remained, businesses could have faced the uncomfortable possibility that internal documents, pitch decks, drafts, artwork, or sensitive visual assets might be used, not just to train algorithms, but potentially to inform systems well beyond the original upload. Even if restricted to content moderation purposes, the lack of clarity raised red flags.

For example, a design agency transferring client work via WeTransfer might wonder whether its bespoke assets could end up being parsed for machine learning, however indirectly. A photographer might fear her original image files could be used to train image recognition or generation tools. And a marketing firm sharing early brand materials might question what “derivative works” could technically include.

Although WeTransfer insists that no such usage has occurred, the lack of clear technical limitations in the original clause left too much room for doubt.

WeTransfer’s Response

Within days of the backlash, WeTransfer issued a formal press release clarifying its position. It insisted that the controversial clause was a misstep and that the company does “not use user content to train AI models, nor do we sell or share files with third parties.” The company acknowledged that AI had been under consideration “to improve content moderation,” but confirmed that “such a feature hasn’t been built or deployed in practice.”

The statement added: “We’ve since updated the terms further to make them easier to understand. We’ve also removed the mention of machine learning, as it’s not something WeTransfer uses in connection with customer content and may have caused some apprehension.”

Clause Now Dropped

Following the uproar, it seems that, in an updated version of Section 6.3, the AI-related clause was dropped entirely. For example, the new text grants WeTransfer a royalty-free licence to use content strictly for “operating, developing, and improving the Service, all in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy.” Importantly, it reinforces that users retain ownership and intellectual property rights over their content, and that processing complies with GDPR and other privacy regulations.

What’s Changed and What Hasn’t?

From a legal perspective, WeTransfer’s licensing terms weren’t entirely new. Earlier terms already included broad usage rights necessary to operate the service, such as the ability to scan, index, and reproduce files. However, the new inclusion of AI-specific language, especially amid public concern about AI and data usage, introduced a new level of perceived risk.

As the company explained: “The language regarding licensing didn’t actually change in substance compared to the previous Terms of Service… The change in wording was meant to simplify the terms while ensuring our customers can enjoy WeTransfer’s features and services as they were built to be used.”

Nonetheless, perception matters. For example, the way the AI clause was introduced, without technical limitations, public explanation, or opt-out options, appeared to really undermine confidence at a time when many businesses are increasingly sensitive to data governance.

Broader Industry Fallout and Lessons for Tech Providers

WeTransfer is far from alone in facing scrutiny over AI terms. For example, back in 2023, Zoom had to walk back similar policy updates after suggesting it could use customer audio and video to train its AI models. Dropbox, Slack, and Adobe have all been forced to issue clarifications in recent months after terms of service changes sparked similar fears.

For regulators, the episode highlights ongoing gaps in user protection. In the UK, the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) has warned companies that AI development must respect explicit consent, clarity of purpose, and data minimisation, all of which could come under strain when licensing terms are broadly written.

For businesses, the incident is a reminder to read the fine print, especially as more cloud services evolve their models to incorporate generative AI, content filtering, and user analytics.

As an example, a marketing team using file-sharing services or cloud-based creative tools should now routinely assess licensing clauses for AI-related language, even if those features are not currently in use. Procurement teams may also need to establish red lines around AI usage to safeguard proprietary material.

Trust Takes Time to Build And Moments to Erode

Despite WeTransfer’s efforts to clarify and course-correct, replies on social media appear to remain largely sceptical. Some users have suggested the company had been testing the waters for broader AI permissions, only to retreat when the backlash hit. Others have expressed a desire to move to alternatives, such as Swiss-based Tresorit or Proton Drive, that offer end-to-end encryption and stronger privacy guarantees.

While WeTransfer may weather the storm, the event highlights a wider issue for the tech industry, i.e., transparency around AI is no longer optional. As public awareness of AI training practices grows, even small wording changes can trigger major reputational fallout. And for companies built on the trust of creative professionals, that risk is especially acute.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

For UK businesses and creative professionals in particular, this episode serves as a clear warning that assumptions about how cloud-based platforms handle data can no longer be taken at face value. The practical risk may have been limited in this instance, but the reputational impact is real, and the consequences of poor communication are hard to reverse. For companies that regularly transfer visual, written, or proprietary material via WeTransfer or similar services, it may prompt a review not only of terms and conditions, but of where and how sensitive files are shared in future.

For WeTransfer, the timing could hardly be worse. As demand grows for privacy-conscious alternatives in an AI-saturated market, any perception of blurred boundaries risks handing competitive advantage to rivals positioning themselves as more transparent or security-first. Providers such as Proton Drive, Filestage and Internxt are already responding to this shift, actively marketing their commitment to zero-knowledge infrastructure and end-to-end encryption.

Regulators and legal teams are also likely to be watching closely. The blurred line between operational necessity and expansive licensing is fast becoming a regulatory priority. In the UK, organisations working in regulated sectors, such as legal, health or financial services, may find that contract terms involving generative AI now trigger enhanced scrutiny from internal compliance and external auditors alike.

The broader takeaway from this story is that, as AI becomes more embedded in the digital infrastructure businesses rely on, consent must be granular, wording must be clear, and trust must be continually earned. WeTransfer’s quick backtrack may limit the immediate fallout, but it will likely be remembered as yet another sign of how easily tech companies can alienate users when they fail to communicate transparently, especially when the stakes involve creative ownership, client confidentiality, and commercial value.

Microsoft has confirmed that Chinese state-linked hackers are exploiting critical flaws in on-premises SharePoint servers to steal data and deploy ransomware.

The groups, known as Linen Typhoon, Violet Typhoon, and Storm-2603, are targeting government, defence, and business organisations by abusing spoofing and remote code execution vulnerabilities. Cloud-based SharePoint systems are not affected.

Victims have been reported across multiple sectors and countries, including the UK. Microsoft says the attacks allow hackers to steal credentials, disable security tools, and spread ransomware such as Warlock.

Storm-2603, a China-based group, has been observed using a malicious script called spinstall0.aspx to gain access and escalate privileges inside networks. Microsoft has warned that more attackers are likely to adopt these methods.

To stay secure, businesses using on-prem SharePoint must install Microsoft’s latest security updates, rotate ASP.NET machine keys, enable AMSI protection, and use advanced endpoint detection tools to block post-exploit activity.

Norwegian investment giant Aker has revealed plans to construct a large-scale AI facility inside the Arctic Circle, capitalising on green energy and a growing Nordic tech race.

Major Investment With Strategic Ambitions

Aker ASA, the Oslo-based industrial investment firm controlled by billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke, has announced plans to establish a major artificial intelligence (AI) “factory” in Narvik, a coastal city in northern Norway. Located 220km within the Arctic Circle, the site is already prepped for construction and has access to 230 megawatts (MW) of clean energy.
Described by Aker as a “catalyst for industrial development, job creation, and export revenues,” the project positions itself at the heart of a growing international race to create energy-efficient data infrastructure for AI workloads. CEO Øyvind Eriksen said the new facility would help Norway seize a key opportunity in an evolving digital economy: “AI and data centres are becoming foundational to global business, and northern Norway is uniquely positioned to benefit.”

Start Work Later This Year

While the company has not yet disclosed a total construction cost or timeline for the facility’s completion, the site in Narvik is said to be “construction ready”, with early groundwork expected to begin later this year, pending partnership agreements. Negotiations with potential technology providers and anchor customers are currently underway.

What Is an “AI Factory” and Why the Arctic?

The term “AI factory” refers to a data centre designed to support high-performance computing (HPC), particularly the large-scale training and deployment of AI models. These facilities require huge amounts of electricity to power and cool thousands of graphics processing units (GPUs), the hardware typically used for advanced AI tasks.

In recent years, tech companies and infrastructure investors have turned to northern regions where natural cooling and cheap renewable electricity offer environmental and economic advantages. Narvik, with its access to stable, low-cost hydropower and cool year-round temperatures, provides precisely the conditions needed for sustainable AI operations.
For example, data centres in warmer climates often need complex and energy-intensive cooling systems. In Narvik, ambient air can be used for much of the cooling, significantly reducing operational emissions. Aker’s plan aligns with a broader trend across the Nordics, where countries are leveraging their green energy grids and favourable climates to attract the next generation of digital infrastructure.

Aker’s Portfolio and Strategic Focus

Founded in 1841, Aker ASA is one of Norway’s largest industrial investment firms. The company has long-standing interests in sectors including energy, marine biotechnology, oil and gas, and software. Its current portfolio includes Cognite, a software company that delivers industrial AI and data solutions, and Seetee, a digital assets firm that holds Bitcoin and invests in blockchain infrastructure. Both are majority-owned and operated through Aker’s tech division.

In its Q2 2025 earnings update, Aker reported a 7.4 per cent rise in net asset value, reaching NOK 66.5 billion (£4.9 billion). The company also confirmed it was consolidating its data centre activities under direct ownership, a signal that the Narvik development will form a core part of its long-term infrastructure play.

The move comes as part of a wider shift in Aker’s strategy, with CEO Øyvind Eriksen stating that AI represents “a new value chain,” and that Norway’s combination of political stability, clean energy and industrial expertise makes it an attractive location for such ventures.

Part of a Larger Nordic Trend

The Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland) have emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing regions for AI data infrastructure, drawing investment from tech giants and local firms alike. Last year, Google pledged €1 billion (£850 million) to expand its Hamina data centre campus in southern Finland, its seventh such expansion. Microsoft followed suit with a $3.2 billion (£2.5 billion) commitment to boost its AI and cloud capacity across Sweden.

Amsterdam-based Nebius, a cloud firm backed by Yandex co-founder Arkady Volozh, announced in October that it would triple GPU capacity at its Mäntsälä facility in Sweden. The site is now being scaled to run 60,000 GPUs dedicated to AI workloads, making it one of Europe’s most powerful AI installations.

Also, as a sign of increasing local innovation, Finnish startup Silo AI was acquired by chipmaker AMD for $665 million (£515 million) last year, underlining growing investor confidence in the region’s AI ecosystem.

Narvik’s Unique Position

It seems that Narvik is no stranger to strategic importance. For example, historically a transport hub for iron ore, the city now sits at the centre of what the Norwegian government calls “Green North”, a zone being positioned for energy-intensive industries powered entirely by renewable sources.

The site earmarked by Aker lies close to existing transmission infrastructure and has direct access to locally generated hydropower. According to Statnett, Norway’s national grid operator, the northern region benefits from surplus electricity and lower wholesale energy prices compared to southern parts of the country.

This abundance of clean energy has not gone unnoticed. Eriksen described the Arctic setting as “ideal for long-term, sustainable digital infrastructure”, highlighting the region’s potential to export data processing as a service, similar to how Norway exports energy and aluminium today. For example, the Narvik facility could process AI training workloads on behalf of global clients, using only renewable energy and naturally cooled systems, giving it a unique carbon advantage compared to data centres in North America or Asia.

Economic and Industrial Impacts

Aker says the AI factory will generate new local jobs in both construction and operations, while also stimulating the broader northern economy. Although specific employment numbers have not yet been released, regional leaders have welcomed the project as a sign of renewed industrial confidence.

Local authorities in Narvik have also indicated that they are keen to develop a technology cluster around the facility, offering incentives to secondary businesses such as equipment suppliers, repair services, and housing developments.

For Aker, the facility may strengthen its position in a growing sector while complementing its existing investments in digital infrastructure. By owning both the compute (via the AI factory) and the software layer (via Cognite), the firm may be able to offer vertically integrated industrial AI services to its portfolio companies and beyond.

UK and European businesses could benefit as well. For example, with growing pressure to decarbonise digital operations, firms may soon look to outsource high-energy AI processing to low-carbon providers, particularly those in stable jurisdictions like Norway.

Challenges and Concerns

However, the project is not without its critics. For example, some environmental groups have raised concerns about the true impact of AI-related energy use, arguing that even renewable-powered data centres could crowd out other local energy needs or require future grid upgrades.

There are also broader geopolitical and regulatory questions. The AI arms race has triggered export restrictions on high-end GPUs and computing technology, particularly between the US and China. For Norway, which remains outside the European Union but closely aligned through the EEA agreement, balancing access to global supply chains with national interests could become increasingly complex.

Also, while the Narvik site boasts favourable conditions today, questions remain around long-term cooling efficiency, particularly as GPU densities increase and water-based cooling becomes more common. Some analysts have cautioned that being early to market brings both opportunity and risk.

That said, Aker insists that its approach is grounded in long-term ownership and sustainability. In a statement accompanying the announcement, Eriksen said: “Our industrial DNA means we take a patient, value-creating view. This isn’t about short-term gains—it’s about building infrastructure that serves future generations of technology.”

More detailed timelines, costs, and partnerships are expected to be disclosed later this year.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation?

If Aker succeeds in building a commercially viable AI facility powered by Arctic hydropower, it could set a new benchmark for how digital infrastructure is developed and operated in a low-carbon economy. While the company has yet to reveal the full technical and financial details, the decision to base the facility in Narvik reflects a deliberate strategy to align technological ambition with environmental responsibility. This positions Aker as not just a backer of industrial innovation, but a potential driver of regional transformation in northern Norway.

For Norway itself, the project signals an opportunity to diversify beyond oil and gas while still playing to its strengths in energy, engineering, and export-led industrial development. The Narvik factory is being framed as part of a new value chain, one where data, like oil before it, becomes a national resource to be harnessed and exported. That framing carries economic and political weight, especially as countries seek to balance growth with climate goals.

From a business perspective, the implications stretch beyond Scandinavia. For example, UK companies under growing pressure to meet sustainability targets could find that shifting AI workloads to greener, offshore compute centres is an attractive alternative to expanding domestic infrastructure. With corporate ESG commitments under scrutiny and AI workloads expected to surge, outsourcing to renewables-based facilities may become part of the commercial risk-reduction strategy.

Even so, the success of this model depends on the reliability and scalability of the energy supply, on keeping operational costs competitive, and on navigating geopolitical and supply chain uncertainty. As governments consider how to regulate AI, data sovereignty and infrastructure ownership will remain sensitive issues. In Norway and beyond, Aker’s Arctic AI factory may, therefore, serve as both a proving ground and a pressure test for the next chapter of sustainable industrial development.

This video shows how it’s now easier than ever to personalise your CoPilot, so that you can get it to operate to your very own specifications and personalise your way of doing things …

[Note – To Watch This Video without glitches/interruptions, It may be best to download it first]

Need to share sensitive information without leaving a record? WhatsApp now lets you send voice notes that automatically disappear after being listened to only once.

How to:

– Open an individual or group chat in WhatsApp.
– Tap and hold the microphone icon, swipe up to lock the recording.
– Tap the “1” View‑Once icon when it turns green to enable it.
– Record your message and tap send – it disappears after first playback.

What it’s for:

Ideal for sharing things like short instructions, passwords, or reminders—without leaving a lasting voice note in your chat history.

Pro‑Tip: Voice messages sent this way expire after 14 days if not opened and cannot be forwarded, saved or starred. Ensure the recipient has read receipts enabled so you can see when they’ve listened.