News AMD, Dell and Cambridge Uni unveil AI Lab
AMD, DELL TECHNOLOGIES AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE have announced plans to establish the Sovereign AI Innovation Lab (SAIL), a new national hub designed to accelerate AI-driven research and support the UK’s ambition to build world-class sovereign AI capabilities. Positioned within the University of Cambridge’s Research Computing Service, SAIL will provide a collaborative environment for organisations to evaluate, develop and deploy advanced AI technologies across scientific research, healthcare, climate modelling, engineering and public-sector services. The initiative aims to expand secure access to high-performance computing and AI infrastructure while promoting open, interoperable technology frameworks.
The announcement follows the expansion of Cambridge’s AI
Research Resource (AIRR) and the deployment of the Zenith AI supercomputer, powered by 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors and AMD Instinct MI355X GPU accelerators integrated into Dell infrastructure. Zenith is designed to support increasingly complex AI, simulation and scientific workloads, forming a key part of the UK’s growing national AI ecosystem.
SAIL will sit alongside Zenith and Sunrise – a second
Dell-AMD AI supercomputer developed with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and funded by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero. Sunrise is dedicated to advancing fusion energy research and contributes to the development of AI capabilities at Culham Campus, home to the UK’s first AI Growth Zone. A core focus of SAIL is the development of open and
interoperable AI infrastructure built on AMD platforms, AMD ROCm software and cloud-native technologies. The lab will explore deployment models spanning AI training and inference, scientific foundation models, simulation‑assisted workflows and secure public‑sector AI environments. AMD, Dell and the University of Cambridge say the initiative will help strengthen the UK’s competitiveness by supporting AI-for-science applications across healthcare, climate science, materials research, engineering and energy. The partners describe SAIL as a strategic step in enabling the next generation of AI infrastructure and accelerating scientific discovery.
Acer streamlines channel operations
ACER has expanded its digital infrastructure for channel partners and supply-chain teams with two major launches aimed at speeding up operations and improving decision-making across EMEA. The company has introduced a new Channel Partner Portal designed to centralise bid management, deal registration, product data, marketing assets and after-sales tools in a single environment. Already live in nine countries, including the UK, the platform brings together fast-quote functionality, structured deal workflows and access to real‑time price lists and product information. Acer says the system is built to reduce manual processes for resellers and distributors, while supporting more complex configurations and higher‑volume negotiations. Training content and a marketing library are also integrated, giving partners access to short “Tech Pills” modules and ready-to-use campaign materials. Cristina Pez, Director Commercial Marketing and
Go-to-Market Acer EMEA, said the goal was to “simplify and improve the efficiency of sales processes within our channel ecosystem,” adding that automation and data visibility would support faster decisions and more effective business management. The portal also includes a fully automated loyalty programme that tracks purchasing activity and converts it into credits for future orders.
Alongside the channel launch, Acer EMEA has moved its logistics operations to an AI-powered predictive platform developed by Wakeo. The system consolidates data from carriers, ERP systems, logistics platforms and satellite sources to provide real-time visibility of road, air, sea and rail shipments, as well as CO₂ emissions for each movement. Acer reports improved ETA accuracy on routes between
10 | July/August 2026
East Asia and Western Europe, reduced delays and lower safety-stock requirements since adopting the technology. The move to predictive modelling allows supply-chain teams to focus on exceptions rather than manually tracking every shipment, with automated alerts and independent data sources supporting faster responses to disruption. Riccardo Bernasconi, Acer’s EMEA Supply Chain Senior Director, said the platform improves responsiveness in a volatile environment by giving teams access to reliable, up-to-date information.
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