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Isambard-AI, the UK’s most powerful AI supercomputer, goes live

6:39 p.m. July 18, 2025

(NVIDIA PR) The U.K. has officially joined the premier league of global AI infrastructure — and it’s not starting small.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing (BriCS), leaders today unveiled Isambard-AI, the most powerful AI supercomputer ever built in the U.K.

U.K. Secretary of State Peter Kyle was joined by leaders from across academia, industry and government, including Simon McIntosh-Smith, director of the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing, and Neil MacDonald, executive vice president and general manager  for Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s server business.

“And as we press this switch to activate the UK’s most powerful supercomputer, we are embarking on Britain’s super future where AI contributes towards the delivery of better public services, greater public prosperity, deeper scientific discovery and stronger national security,” Kyle said.

 The numbers back up Kyle’s statement:

  • 21 exaflops of AI performance
  • 5,448 NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips
  • Set to rank 11th worldwide on the latest TOP500 list of world’s fastest supercomputers
  • More than 10x faster than the next-fastest supercomputer in the U.K. More computing power than all other U.K. supercomputers combined
  • Ranked fourth globally for energy efficiency

Engineering teams working collaboratively to maneuver and install components within the supercomputer’s data hall, illustrating the complex and coordinated effort behind the build.

Why It Matters

Isambard-AI gives U.K. researchers and businesses a once-in-a-generation leap in computing power. It’s a platform to accelerate breakthroughs in:

  • AI-driven drug discovery
  • Advanced climate modeling
  • Materials science
  • Large language models (LLMs) tuned to U.K. languages and laws

Backed by £225 million in government investment and built with NVIDIA, HPE, the University of Bristol and others, Isambard-AI signals a clear ambition: to lead in AI, the U.K. must lead in compute.

Simon McIntosh-Smith, director of the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing, with Simon Appleby, AI business lead at HPE.Simon McIntosh-Smith, director of the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing, with Simon Appleby, AI business lead at HPE.

A glimpse into the project’s strategic planning, showing a screen outlining the ambitious goal of installing multiple supercomputers, including Isambard-AI’s phases, within 12 months.A glimpse into the project’s strategic planning, showing a screen outlining the ambitious goal of installing multiple supercomputers, including Isambard-AI’s phases, within 12 months.

A Turning Point for UK Science

Named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel — the 19th-century engineer who reshaped Britain with railways, bridges and ships — Isambard-AI brings that same scale of ambition to AI research.

And like Brunel’s projects during his era, it moves fast. Having gone from conception to deployment in just under two years, including the construction of the modular data center in 48 hours, the supercomputer is already running live projects aligned with national priorities.

Early flagship projects include:

  • Nightingale AI: A sovereign, multimodal health foundation model trained on National Health Service (NHS) data to support earlier diagnoses and personalized care.
  • BritLLM: A U.K.-developed LLM project supporting British languages like Welsh, alongside English, to promote inclusivity and better public service delivery in healthcare, education and public services.
  • UCL Cancer Screening AI: Developing the first scalable AI system for prostate cancer detection via MRI, aiming for faster diagnoses and tailored treatments.
  • EIMCRYSTAL (University of Liverpool): Using AI to search 68 million chemical combinations to discover greener, more sustainable industrial materials — reducing reliance on rare or toxic inputs.
  • EgoAI (University of Bristol): Using AI to analyze recordings from wearable cameras and other smart devices to help people perform tasks better at home. This holds immense promise for assisting dementia patients in the future.

A technician carefully installs a server blade equipped with direct liquid cooling, demonstrating the hands-on precision involved in assembling Isambard-AI’s advanced computing infrastructure.

A technician carefully installs a server blade equipped with direct liquid cooling, demonstrating the hands-on precision involved in assembling Isambard-AI’s advanced computing infrastructure.

Built Fast, Built Smart

How do you build a supercomputer in half the usual time?

“We treated the project like a high-performance processor,” said Simon McIntosh-Smith, director at BriCS. “We executed everything in parallel.”

Key to this speed:

  • Parallelized project management
  • Early procurement of critical hardware, particularly GPUs
  • Prefabricated modular data halls shipped in and assembled in days
  • Relentless optimization of delivery timelines
  • Ground broke in June 2024. By June 2025, the full 5-megawatt system was live: built, tested and running at a global scale.

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Puregold marks 28 years of retail growth, gives back to loyal customers 

8:46 a.m. September 14, 2026

Marking 28 years of sustained retail growth and market leadership, leading supermarket chain Puregold Price Club Inc. is launching a grand anniversary celebration this September, giving away exciting rewards designed to make every loyal customer feel valued. 

Puregold’s anniversary celebration rollout comes as it marks a 3.7-percent year-on-year sales growth in the first half of the year on the back of higher shopper spending.  

Giving its customers the “Always Panalo” experience, Puregold will hold anniversary promos and events from September 25 to December 5, including a grand raffle, giveaways, immersive in-store brand experiences, and a barangay roadshow that promises to bring the party to communities across the country.

Perks and Prizes 

Now on its second year, “Puregold’s Nasa Resibo Ang Panalo” nationwide raffle will turn every Puregold visit into a chance to win life-changing prizes, from free groceries and home appliances to up to P280,000 in cash for each winner. 

To participate, Puregold Perks and Aling Puring members just need to make a minimum purchase of P2,000, with at least P300 worth of participating items. Up to 50 winners will be drawn every two weeks across 328 participating stores.  

Participating brands will dress up store aisles and will be tagged in the shelves as cue for shoppers to get items that will qualify them for the raffle.

Puregold customers across 212 stores can also join the “Panalong Pabigas Raffle Promo.” To enter, shoppers need a minimum single-receipt purchase of P1,000, which must include at least P200 worth of participating items. The promo features weekly draws awarding 25-kilo sacks of rice to five winners per store, culminating in a grand draw where 30 winners will take home P28,000 each.

Puregold is also bringing the celebration to communities across the country through “Barangay Panalo, Sari-Saring Papremyo,” sharing rewards to neighborhoods near its stores. 

In Puregold’s barangayan, local residents can take part in on-ground games, enjoy live entertainment, sample products from Puregold’s partner brands, and win various prizes. 

This year’s anniversary celebration culminates with the Luneta edition of Puregold’s famed Hakot Relay Run, a fun run that comes with a grocery grab challenge. Participants are in for massive loot bags and viral moments. 

Hakot Relay Run will be held on December 5, 2026 eat Burnham Green in Rizal Park, Manila. 

“As we celebrate our 28th anniversary, we remain focused on strengthening our connection with Filipino families. From community celebrations and raffle draws to a fun run, these initiatives reflect our gratitude to the customers who continue to make Puregold their trusted supermarket,” said Puregold President Vincent Co.

Stay tuned for updates on the official Puregold Facebook page or drop by the nearest Puregold branch for more info. #

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BFAR co-hosts SAFET 2026 as 370 delegates from 28 countries convene in Cebu

7:20 a.m. September 10, 2026

More than 370 delegates from 28 countries have converged in Cebu for the three-day Seafood and Fisheries Emerging Technologies Conference, or SAFET 2026.

The conference, which runs from September 8 to 10 at Shangri-La Mactan, is co-hosted by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), in partnership with international organizations.

SAFET 2026 focuses on emerging technologies that could help improve fisheries management, protect marine resources, and strengthen the livelihoods of fisherfolk and fishing communities.

More than 75 speakers are sharing insights on fisheries, marine conservation, technology, and livelihood opportunities for coastal communities.

One of the major topics being discussed is electronic monitoring, which uses cameras, sensors, and other digital tools to track fishing vessel activities and improve the collection of fisheries data.

Inga Wise, Executive Director of Seafood and Fisheries Emerging Technologies (SAFET), highlighted the potential of electronic monitoring in improving fisheries monitoring and management.

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is also being explored as a tool to monitor fishing activities and help detect possible illegal operations at sea.

The BFAR is also showcasing digital platforms, including the Electronic Catch Documentation and Traceability System (eCDTS) and the Vessel Monitoring System, which can help authorities trace fish from their source at sea through the supply chain and eventually to the market.

The conference is also addressing the effects of climate change on fishers and coastal communities, including ways to strengthen the livelihoods of small-scale fishers and help fisherfolk adapt to changing marine conditions.

The DA-BFAR Assistant Director for Technical Services Isidro M. Velayo Jr. said the agency is working to strengthen its support for fisherfolk through improved programs and technology.

However, one of the major challenges is ensuring that emerging technologies are affordable and accessible to fishing communities, particularly because many of these systems can be costly and technically complex.

Government leaders also stressed the need to ensure that technologies introduced through pilot projects eventually become practical tools that fishers can use in their day-to-day operations.

BFAR Region 7 Regional Director Mario Ruinata said SAFET 2026 is particularly significant for Central Visayas, where many communities depend on fishing for their livelihood.

He said an important consideration is determining how and when technologies such as electronic monitoring, AI, satellite systems, and digital platforms can be introduced to local fishing communities.

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Mobile Legends: Bang Bang goes ALL IN to celebrate 10 years of growing with its players

7:29 p.m. September 4, 2026

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) today launches ALL IN MLBB, its global 10th Anniversary campaign honouring the players and communities that have shaped its growth and globalisation. The campaign will unfold through anniversary activities, rewards, and the MLBB Birthday Party, bringing players together offline with the game’s developers.

For 10 years, MLBB and its players have grown and changed together, building identities, connections and a shared future. From school years to working life, and from a first main hero to a trusted squad, MLBB has become part of millions of personal stories. ALL IN MLBB celebrates those memories while inviting players to shape the game’s next chapter together.

Today, MLBB reaches more than 1.5 billion installations and 110 million monthly active users across more than 80 countries. Its expansion has paired an accessible, free-to-play mobile experience with hyperlocal publishing, allowing local creators and communities to shape campaigns around each market.

Annual campaigns such as Golden Month bring players together through locally relevant creator content and community activities centred on the spirit of giving. ALLSTAR reimagines the in-game experience each year. From entertainment crossovers with NARUTO and THE KING OF FIGHTERS to partnerships spanning Neymar Jr, ITZY, Jollibee, Visa, and Chow Tai Fook, MLBB has connected with players through global fandoms, sport, music, and everyday consumer experiences.

Over the decade, MLBB’s player-first publishing approach has also extended its universe into new genres. Mobile Legends: Adventure (MLA) and Magic Chess: Go Go (MCGG) give fans new ways to engage with familiar heroes beyond the traditional 5v5 format.

Roger Yu, Producer of MLBB at MOONTON Games, said: “MLBB’s first decade demonstrates that global scale and local relevance can reinforce each other. We have kept the core game accessible while investing in creators, cultural moments, and partnerships that give communities a role in shaping the brand. This approach has enabled MLBB to grow beyond a single title into a broader entertainment ecosystem. ALL IN MLBB recognises the players who made that growth possible and reaffirms that they will remain central to our next decade.”

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