The UK’s national supercomputer has delivered an eightfold return on investment to the economy, a report reveals.
Independent analysis of the economic impact of ARCHER2, hosted by EPCC at the University, shows it has enabled more than £4.2bn in benefits to the UK economy over its five-year operational period.
This is equivalent to a return of £8.30 for every £1 of public funding since launching in 2021 when compared to costs of £100m to build the supercomputer and £400m of research funding.
Economic benefit
The majority of the economic benefits – some £3.7bn – are attributed to academic research and development (R&D) undertaken on ARCHER2.
These benefits arise through activities such as knowledge transfers and the commercialisation of research conducted using ARCHER2 or by facilitating subsequent private sector R&D, the report authors say.
Further economic benefits of around £517m stem from the formation of spinout companies, the creation of new products and services, and firms benefitting from staff trained in computational R&D moving into industry.
This independent evaluation demonstrates the excellent value that ARCHER2 has delivered for UK research and innovation since its launch in 2021. A return of £8.30 for every £1 of public funding invested is a positive result, but what truly brings these figures to life are the real-world breakthroughs this supercomputer has enabled. From advancing treatments for heart disease and tackling antibiotic resistance, to accelerating the development of cleaner aircraft as well as understanding and addressing climate change. These outcomes from ARCHER2 usage clearly demonstrate the contribution that access to supercomputing makes both for science and for society as a whole.
Jane Nicholson
Executive Director for Research, EPSRC
Scientific impacts
ARCHER2 enables modelling of the world around us that would otherwise be impossible to study using experiments. These include simulations of climate change impacts, how well new drugs might work and the performance of jet engines.
The independent report by London Economics, which was commissioned by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), details the significant scientific impacts of ARCHER2.
The analysis identified more than 2,100 publications, spanning 20 different fields of research, that were enabled through the use of ARCHER2. In total, the publications involved researchers from more than 1,100 different institutions in 88 countries.
National supercomputer
ARCHER2 was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), both part of UKRI.
The analysis of ARCHER2’s economic and scientific impact follows the announcement in June 2025 that the UK's next national supercomputer will also located at EPCC at the University of Edinburgh.
The investment of up to £750 million represents a huge endorsement of the University and its future as a world-leader in supercomputing and AI, recognising the strength and value of Edinburgh’s expertise built over the past 40 years.
EPCC was named the UK’s first National Supercomputing Centre in July 2025, in recognition of its decades-long experience and pioneering skill in advanced computing.
This report provides a resounding justification of the value of Government investment in large-scale national supercomputing. EPCC works very hard to deliver an excellent service for our users. This report shows how our users repay our efforts by delivering world-class research and real value to the UK economy.
Professor Mark Parsons
Director of EPCC and Dean of Research Computing
