University welcomes Shadow Business Minister

Shadow Minister for Business, Enterprise and Technology, Nick Ramsay AM has visited High Performance Computing (HPC) Wales' Cardiff University Hub to see how businesses can benefit from accessing the most advanced technology in the world.

Following an overview of the pan-Wales infrastructure by HPC Wales' Technical Director Professor Martyn Guest, Mr Ramsay was given a tour of the Cardiff Hub by Andrew Thomas, Hub Systems Manager for Cardiff. HPC Wales' Cardiff Hub is one of a number of interconnected supercomputing systems across Wales that make up the UKs largest distributed supercomputing network, enabling users to access the innovative technology locally and securely.

Nick Ramsay said: "HPC Wales is an important venture as it aims to turn Wales into a leading international centre for specialist supercomputing research, ensuring that we grow our knowledge economy and can compete on a global level.

"By giving businesses access to this world-leading technology, along with the training and support to help them evaluate how they can best use it, they are opening new doors for companies across Wales.

"There is a real opportunity here for firms to punch above their weight in the way they use technology to become more innovative in the way they operate, helping to secure that all-important competitive advantage."

High Performance Computing (HPC) Wales is a company formed to manage a shared service collaboration of the universities in Wales. High performance computing technology has the capacity to handle and analyse massive amounts of data at high speed, bringing new products and services to the market faster. The technology can help boost innovation and secure competitive advantage for companies of all sizes across a range of sectors.

Part-funded by £24 million through the Welsh Government, including support from the European Regional Development Fund, HPC Wales is providing the training and outreach to help companies exploit supercomputing technology effectively, powering innovation.