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Sunrise is a £45 million AI supercomputer planned for fusion research at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) Culham Campus in Oxfordshire. UKAEA says it will support modelling, simulation and data analysis, including work on plasma turbulence, fusion materials and tritium fuel breeding. The authority’s published operational targets changed from June to September 2026; neither target confirms that the system had begun operating by 4 October 2026.
What is the Sunrise supercomputer?
Sunrise is a publicly funded research-computing facility designed to support fusion research. It is not a consumer computer available to buy. UKAEA says the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) funds the project, UKAEA owns the system, and the University of Cambridge operates it.
The facility is based at UKAEA’s Culham Campus in Oxfordshire, within the UK’s first AI Growth Zone. UKAEA names AMD, Dell Technologies, Intel, WEKA, DESNZ, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the University of Cambridge among organisations associated with Sunrise. Its project page does not specify each organisation’s individual contract or technical role.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesWhat will Sunrise be used for?
UKAEA describes Sunrise as computing capacity for fusion researchers’ modelling, simulation and data analysis. Its stated research applications include:
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- Plasma turbulence: modelling complex plasma behaviour relevant to fusion research.
- Materials development: supporting investigations into materials for fusion systems.
- Tritium fuel breeding: helping researchers study how fusion facilities could produce tritium fuel.
These are intended applications, not reported research results. The project announcement also describes high-fidelity simulations and digital twins—computer-based representations intended to model systems and their behaviour—as planned capabilities.
In an IT Pro report, UKAEA director for computing programmes Rob Akers described the goal as learning in a virtual environment before committing to real-world work. The report attributed to him the view that Sunrise would combine high-fidelity simulation and physics-informed AI to develop predictive digital twins. That is a quoted description of the project’s intended approach, not evidence that those capabilities have already produced particular outcomes.
How much does Sunrise cost, and what does the wider £125 million plan cover?
The £45 million for Sunrise is part of a broader £125 million planned investment in the Culham AI Growth Zone, according to the UK Government’s 2026 strategy. The larger figure includes Sunrise as well as ongoing research computing and preparations for a future large-scale fusion AI supercomputer.
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| Investment | What it covers | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| £45 million | Sunrise | UK Government strategy and UKAEA, 2026 |
| £80 million | Ongoing research computing and preparations for a future large-scale fusion AI supercomputer | UK Government strategy, 2026 |
| £125 million | Planned Culham AI Growth Zone development, including the Sunrise and research-computing investments above | UK Government strategy, 2026 |
What are Sunrise’s published technical figures?
UKAEA gives a facility power figure of 1.4 megawatts and says Sunrise can provide up to 6.76 exaflops of AI-accelerated modelling. The exaflops figure is tied to that stated workload; it should not be treated as a general-purpose computing benchmark or directly compared with other systems without a matching workload and measurement basis. The sources cited here do not establish an independent benchmark comparison.
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UKAEA has described Sunrise as expected to be the world’s most powerful fusion-dedicated supercomputer. That is an attributed expectation about the fusion-dedicated category, not an independently verified ranking of all supercomputers.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When is Sunrise expected to start operating?
UKAEA’s announcement on 16 March 2026 said Sunrise aimed to be operational in June 2026. A later UKAEA strategy set a September 2026 target for beginning operations. The reviewed official sources do not confirm that operations actually began by 4 October 2026, and they do not explain the difference between the two target dates.
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