Latest news with #PeterMathieson
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UK bets $956 million on new Edinburgh supercomputer to lead global AI push
The University of Edinburgh will host the UK's new $956 million (£750 million) national supercomputer, reaffirming its role at the forefront of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. The system, one of the most powerful in the world, will be housed at the University's Advanced Computing Facility and used by researchers and industry nationwide for complex modelling, simulations, and AI-driven analysis in areas such as climate science, medicine, and national security. The funding, confirmed in the UK Chancellor's Spending Review on Wednesday, follows Prime Minister Keir Starmer's announcement of a $1.27 billion (£1 billion) plan to scale up Britain's AI computing power twenty-fold. The supercomputer will form part of the UK's forthcoming AI Research Resource, a national network of high-performance computing facilities that the government plans to expand at least twentyfold by 2030, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. 'This significant investment will have a profoundly positive impact on the UK's global standing,' said Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh. "Building on our expertise and experience over decades, this powerful supercomputer will support advancements in medicine, bolster emerging industries, and unlock the full potential of AI.' Once operational, the new system will vastly outpace ARCHER2, the current national supercomputer also hosted by the university. It is expected to deliver a billion billion operations per second. 'These are immensely complex systems, and we will use everything we've learned over the past 30 years to run the best possible service for thousands of users from across the UK's scientific and industrial research communities,' said Professor Mark Parsons, Director of EPCC and Dean of Research Computing at the university. The project is expected to support skilled jobs in Scotland and attract further investment through new industry partnerships. The decision to move ahead with the project marks a reversal of an earlier funding withdrawal. The Labour government restored the $956 million (£750 million) commitment after scrapping an $1.02 billion (£800 million) pledge made by the Conservatives, citing failures in how the previous government had allocated the funds. The cancellation drew criticism from tech leaders, who warned of delays and said the UK risked falling behind global peers in advanced computing. By the time the original funding was pulled, the University had already invested £30 million in infrastructure for the system. Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said the landmark moment will place Scotland at the forefront of the UK's technological revolution. 'The £750 million investment in Edinburgh's new supercomputer places Scotland at the cutting edge of computing power globally. This will see Scotland playing a leading role in creating breakthroughs that have a global benefit—such as new medicines, health advances, and climate change solutions. This is the Plan for Change—delivering real opportunities and economic growth for communities across Scotland.' The University of Edinburgh has hosted the UK's national high-performance computing services for more than 30 years and has been a leading centre for AI research since the 1960s.
The Herald Scotland
19-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Edinburgh academics strike over £140m funding cuts
Academics will take to picket lines surrounding the university this morning, and a rally will be held in the city's George Square at 11AM. The strikes are intended to disrupt the university's annual Open Day, where prospective students and their families will visit the Old College campus. Additional pickets are set to be carried out between 8-12 September as students return from the summer holidays. Bosses at the university aim to reduce spending by £140m. (Image: Newsquest) Sophia Woodman, president of the Edinburgh University UCU branch, said: 'Taking strike action is the very last thing UCU members at Edinburgh want to do but the decision of the principal to press ahead with huge cuts and the refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies has simply left us no choice. 'University staff are worried about the future and whether they'll have a job this time next year. We are striking on Open Day to sound the alarm about the future of research and teaching at the university, because we care deeply about the quality of education we provide to our students. Woodman added: 'Staff are stunned to see university senior management pressing ahead with plans to spend vast sums on public relations consultants and increase spending on buildings while cutting the staff who teach students and carry out world leading research. Even at this late stage it's not too late for the university to rule out the use of compulsory redundancies and end this dispute.' Read more: 'It was clunky at best': Edinburgh University pulls 'don't be snobs' guidance Edinburgh University could cut 1750 staff jobs, claims union Edinburgh University at risk of lawsuit over policy to make all toilets mixed-sex University principal Peter Mathieson, who recently told MSPs he was not sure how much money he made, has also come under fire. Asked by Education Committee convenor Douglas Ross to confirm his salary, Mathieson was unable to do so, quipping: 'I don't carry that figure round in my head. I recognise that I'm very well paid. 'You could pay the senior team of the University of Edinburgh nothing and that would make largely no difference to the size of the expenditure challenge we face.' UCU General Secretary Jo Grady UCU General Secretary Jo Grady has also hit out at the chief executive, who makes around £418,000 a year. She said: 'Peter Mathieson has been warned often enough about the impact his cuts will have on staff, students and the university's reputation but the refusal not to rule out compulsory redundancies means that the fault for this strike going ahead lies firmly at his door.' A University of Edinburgh spokesperson said: 'Open Day is a hugely important event in our calendar, and we are delighted to be welcoming thousands of potential students to our campus. Visitors will get a taste of what classes might be like, see accommodation options as well as experiencing the city itself. "While we respect colleagues' right to take part in industrial action, we are doing our utmost to keep any disruption to a minimum and have endeavoured to keep those planning to attend well informed.'
STV News
19-06-2025
- Business
- STV News
Hubris, secrecy and a £122m bailout: Dundee scandal is a wake-up call for all universities
This is beyond damning. The principal and other senior managers at the University of Dundee knew their student numbers were falling and knew they were millions of pounds in deficit. But the fact that they not only failed to do anything about it but covered it up and kept spending is incredible. Attracting overseas students has been a big part of the business model for Scotland's universities for quite a few years. It worked at Dundee University – until it didn't. In 2024, the number of overseas students enrolling at Dundee fell from more than 1,200 to fewer than 400. Instead of cutting costs in line with falling income, the principal's message was one of confidence for the future and the prospect of continued growth. For months, financial papers were withheld from the university's ruling court and no one questioned what was going on. Bear in mind this is a higher education institution charged with shaping the inquiring minds of the country's future, and not one of the senior management team questioned what was going on or why they were being kept in the dark. As well as all that, the principal and his closest colleagues kept the university's financial position from the Bank of Scotland. The Gillies Report makes it clear they were guilty of a 'breach of covenant' twice – spending money from university bank accounts while knowing they were already in deficit. That's something else they kept from the University Court. I've not seen a report like this outside of the criminal courts, but it's author Professor Pamela Gillies does not believe their actions amount to criminality. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, (OSCR) however, is launching a further investigation on the back of todays report. All universities in Scotland are registered as charities. So OSCR says 'concerns remain about the governance of this charity' and they are opening an inquiry 'so that we can better understand these matters'. They will look into 'the university and its trustees, past and present, to determine whether regulatory action is required'. So everyone who sat on Dundee University's Court or played a role in senior management over the last few years will come under their investigation, including former Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander, who is now a Labour Peer in the House of Lords. This is a wake up call to universities across Scotland. Just this month MSPs on Holyrood's education committee heard from University of Edinburgh principal Sir Peter Mathieson, Edinburgh Napier University principal professor Sue Rigby, and University of the West of Scotland principal, Professor James Miller about the financial difficulties they are facing. You might remember the exchange between former Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross and Sir Peter Mathieson, who couldn't remember quite how many hundreds of thousands of pounds he was paid. Towards the end of the Gillies Report, it describes the then-Dundee University principal professor Ian Gillespie as 'an excellent public speaker' but warned there were 'many reports to this investigation that the principal frequently demonstrated hubris, or excessive pride in his role'. It added: 'Hubris is relevant insofar as it can be characterised by dangerous over self-confidence and complacency, often in combination with arrogance, contempt towards people who offer criticism and obsession with personal image and status.' That hubris almost saw the University of Dundee go bust and forced the taxpayer to cough up £122m to keep it going. This must be a wake up call not just to universities but to all those who sit on management boards of important institutions and public sector bodies. They must scrutinise and hold themselves to account because further down the line others will hold them to account. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The National
13-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Should a supercomputer be a top priority amid a housing crisis?
At a very rough and admittedly simplistic calculation – and assuming you could build a decent flat for, say, £100,000 – the almost £1 billion price tag for the supercomputer could have been used to build around 10,000 homes. Politics is all about priorities and supercomputers seem these days to come before homes for our nation's homeless weans. More than 10,000 of them languish in so-call temporary accommodation today and will continue to do so every day for the foreseeable future. READ MORE: 5 things Scots should know from Rachel Reeves' spending review After the announcement I watched a TV interview with a suitably enthusiastic academic from the university who singularly failed to explain the actual (not theoretical) benefits of the supercomputer. In the meantime, Peter Mathieson, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, took to the press to say the supercomputer investment will have a 'transformative impact on the UK'. He went on to say 'This significant investment will have a profoundly positive impact on the UK's global standing'. Is this whole project primarily about 'the UK's global academic standing'? I am reminded of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a comedy science-fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. The number 42 is especially significant to its many fans because that number is the answer given by a supercomputer called Deep Thought which takes 7.5 million years to finally answer the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. Perhaps The National could devote some column inches to an article from the university to inform us of the real – not theoretical – benefits of this massively expensive project and explain why it is at the top of the political agenda. Will it be obsolete before it is even switched on? READ MORE: Scottish Government 'short-changed by £1bn by Rachel Reeves' I am sure the academics of Edinburgh University will enjoy their new toy when it eventually does come online. The homeless of weans of Scotland less so. In sharp contrast, on March 28 2021 the then education secretary John Swinney said: 'If we are re-elected in May, the SNP will roll out a new programme to deliver into the hands of every school child in Scotland a laptop, Chromebook or tablet to use in school and at home. It will come with a free internet connection and full technical support. It will be updated when necessary, replaced when needed and upgraded as technology improves. As a child moves through their school life, it will change with them, going from the simpler devices needed at P1 to the more advanced in the senior phase of secondary'. That pledge has since fallen by the political wayside. So it's a supercomputer for academics but no laptops for our school children. Sandra West Dundee TRUMP'S false charge of race discrimination by the South African government against white farmers and offering them refuge in the US is an act of hostility against South Africa. Since South Africa took Israel to the International Court of Justice charging it with genocide, the US has ramped up its actions against South Africa. Trump's presidential order 'Addressing the Egregious Actions of South Africa' promoted the re-settlement of Afrikaners in the US and stated that South Africa had taken aggressive positions towards the United States including 'accusing Israel of genocide'. READ MORE: David Pratt: Donald Trump is reshaping democracy for authoritarians It added, 'The United States cannot support the government of South Africa in its undermining United States foreign policy which poses national security threats to our nation … and our interests.' It concluded that 'the United States shall not provide aid or assistance to South Africa.' It could not be made clearer that if you disagree with US support for Israel's actions then you will be punished. In South Africa's colonial and apartheid past, land distribution was grossly unequal on the basis of race. This remains the case. Whites own 70% of the land while being only 7% of the population. South Africa in addressing this issue passed the Land Expropriation Act. Land can be expropriated without compensation only in strictly defined circumstances. READ MORE: Donald Trump ambushes South African president with false 'white genocide' claims The United States intervention, making false claims about the act and what is happening to white farmers, whilst offering fast-tracked refuge to Afrikaners, is a disruptive interference in the affairs of a sovereign country. The US actions seem designed to destabilise South Africa and stop its support for the Palestinians. South Africa should be applauded for its humanitarian stance in support of the Palestinians and should also be assisted in its journey to overcome 300 years of colonialism and apartheid. Brian Filling Chair, Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) Scotland (successor organisation of the Anti-Apartheid Movement)
Scotsman
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Too embarrassed to admit they're paid way more than the rest of us
The Scottish Parliament has enjoyed quite a few jaw-dropping moments in its 25-year history. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... I was in the chamber, reporting for this very newspaper, when Henry McLeish announced his shock resignation as first minister after only a year in post. He had got into a bit of a muddle with his office expenses. A friend of mine disrupted the passage of the controversial Gender Recognition Reform Bill when she raised her skirt in protest, exposing the merkin she had made from scraps in her craft box. And the decision to release the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, on compassionate grounds led to a special, and very heated, sitting of the Scottish Parliament. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But nothing had prepared me for Peter Mathieson, principal of Edinburgh University, who appeared in front of Holyrood's education committee last week to explain his plans to make £140 million in cuts to the university's budget – including a £90m saving on salaries. Pressed by Tory MSP Douglas Ross to reveal his own salary, Sir Peter stunned the room when he said he didn't know. 'I don't carry that figure around in my head,' he said. Now, let's pause there for a moment. One of the most prominent people in Scottish civic life, the head of an ancient university with a global reputation, a man responsible for the education of nearly 50,000 students a year, doesn't know how much he earns. Douglas Ross came to his rescue, pointing out to the hapless principal that his salary, including pension benefits, is about £418,000 year. He could also have mentioned Sir Peter's four-storey townhouse, paid for by the university, and various other perks, including an annual allowance for his energy bills and for entertaining. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Before his career as a university administrator, Sir Peter was a distinguished medical researcher who focused on autoimmune renal diseases – a profession which surely requires a keen eye for detail. How can he not know how much he earns? And I bet my annual state pension (£11,973 for 2024/25) that if you stopped ten people at random on Princes Street and asked them what they earned last year, all ten would be able to tell you, almost to the penny. In the real world, people are struggling to pay their own energy bills, make their mortgage or rental payments every month and keep the weekly supermarket shop on budget. We have to know exactly how much we earn, because every pound matters. Sir Peter Mathieson personifies the social divide in this country, where a small but very influential group of people are so divorced from real life that they don't need to know how much they earn, they just know it's a lot more than the rest of us. And many of them, like Sir Peter, are public servants – their inflated salaries paid for by the rest of us. NHS bosses with six-figure pay packets and gold-plated pensions. Quango chiefs on more than £300,000 annually. Even backbench MSPs earn £74,500 a year. Meanwhile, a social care worker is lucky if she earns more than £20,000. I don't think Sir Peter 'forgot' how much he earned. I think he was too embarrassed to publicly admit that he is paid way over the odds.
