--- title: "Liquid Immersion Cooled HPC System" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-051fb571-4031-4756-aeff-444bb5830752" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-051fb571-4031-4756-aeff-444bb5830752" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-051fb571-4031-4756-aeff-444bb5830752.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-051fb571-4031-4756-aeff-444bb5830752.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "DURHAM UNIVERSITY" published: "2025-02-11" --- # Liquid Immersion Cooled HPC System Buyer: DURHAM UNIVERSITY Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-b5fd17-051fb571-4031-4756-aeff-444bb5830752 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-051fb571-4031-4756-aeff-444bb5830752) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-051fb571-4031-4756-aeff-444bb5830752.json) ## Summary Durham University has awarded a contract for a "Liquid Immersion Cooled HPC System" to Vesper Technologies Ltd. The project, valued at £249,991.14 including VAT, aims to develop a high-performance computing hardware laboratory at the Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) in Durham. This initiative is part of the DiRAC national Tier-1 HPC service and involves hosting a proof-of-concept liquid immersion cooled system. The procurement method used was an open procedure above the threshold. The awarded contract is effective from 11th February 2025 to 10th February 2026, with the total budget capped at £250,000. The delivery address for the system is Durham, England, postcode DH1 3LE. This tender presents significant growth opportunities for businesses specialising in advanced computing hardware, particularly those with innovative cooling technologies. The project emphasises the importance of long-term collaboration, providing a platform for industry partners to work closely with Durham University. Companies that are experienced in high-performance computing and can contribute to the optimisation and future enhancement of such systems are well-suited to participate. This collaboration will not only boost the technical capabilities but can also extend their market reach within the UK research technical community. ## Notice The Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) at Durham University host part of the DiRAC national Tier-1 High Performance Computing (HPC) service. As part of this, a HPC Hardware Laboratory has been developed to investigate novel HPC technologies in all areas. We are currently funded to host a proof-of-concept liquid immersion cooled system, which will be made available to the UK research technical community to enable HPC systems administrators to grow in confidence with this technology, to visit the data centre, and learn how to manage immersion cooled servers. The total budget for this system is PS250k including VAT (currently 20%) and must not be exceeded. The tender must be in UK pounds. It is a key requirement of this procurement project that the successful supplier will be prepared to build a strong and effective long-term collaborative partnership with the ICC. The University is keen to open opportunities to work closely with an industry partner to optimise this system and work towards future larger systems. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/667a815b-64af-43ac-8286-ac9811df0aef | | Notice type | Award Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Goods | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure (above threshold) | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Large | | All stages | Tender, Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 11 Feb 2025 | | Submission deadline | 6 Jan 2025 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 11 Feb 2025 | | Contract period | 11 Feb 2025 - 10 Feb 2026 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £250,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | £249,991 | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Active | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DURHAM UNIVERSITY | | Locality | DURHAM | | Post town | Durham | | Postcode | DH1 3LE | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear | | ITL 3 | TLC41 Durham | | Local authority | County Durham | | Electoral ward | Durham South | | Westminster constituency | City of Durham | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | VESPER TECHNOLOGIES | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 30 - Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages ### Codes - 30211000 - Mainframe computer ## Release History - 11 Feb 2025 at 13:15 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/667a815b-64af-43ac-8286-ac9811df0aef - 16 Dec 2024 at 13:47 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9cb74418-7341-4ad7-9726-0bca4ea1a1cd - 13 Nov 2024 at 08:40 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9cb74418-7341-4ad7-9726-0bca4ea1a1cd ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/667a815b-64af-43ac-8286-ac9811df0aef 11th February 2025 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9cb74418-7341-4ad7-9726-0bca4ea1a1cd 16th December 2024 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/8d9ec9b2-0407-4484-9a3b-a39b4bbded6f Tender document in full including T&Cs - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/2e34fbca-51da-48c4-be48-a52c2c0ed080 Specification document - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/08f202aa-f324-4e8b-bf05-35eda592192b Anti Bribery Policy - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/6e05cf19-15f2-4b0b-9403-471b9669c283 Financial extract of accounts - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/36ac9f48-4ad9-48c7-9e72-907aa1ea7e43 Supply chain code of conduct - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/569c9e4a-1d90-4f6d-b65a-823c93722773 Insurances - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/d1b44454-ebae-4789-ae35-d7cfdebb8e4a Guidance on how to view Durham University published contracts and associated documents. - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/c448c94c-761b-49bd-b88e-0fdd3dba7aac Guidance for suppliers in registering with Durham University for this opportunity. ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-051fb571-4031-4756-aeff-444bb5830752. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-051fb571-4031-4756-aeff-444bb5830752.json.