--- title: "Scaling compute: AI at 1/1000th the cost" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0447f1" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0447f1" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0447f1.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0447f1.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "ADVANCED RESEARCH AND INVENTION AGENCY" published: "2024-03-13" --- # Scaling compute: AI at 1/1000th the cost Buyer: ADVANCED RESEARCH AND INVENTION AGENCY Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0447f1 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0447f1) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0447f1.json) ## Summary The Advanced Research and Invention Agency has initiated a tender process for the project titled "Scaling compute: AI at 1/1000th the cost" in the services category within the research services industry. The procurement stage is currently active, with deadlines for concept papers submission on 27.03.24 and full proposals submission on 07.05.24. The tender aims to fund multiple applicants through contracts and grants, with a funding value of £39 million GBP. This tender by the Advanced Research and Invention Agency offers opportunities for businesses involved in research and development, especially those focused on AI hardware and computing. Suitable businesses could benefit from the grant and contract awards to drive innovation in the digital electronics industry. The selective procurement method with negotiation presents a platform for eligible suppliers to contribute towards reducing the cost of AI hardware and exploring new avenues for computing advancements. ## Notice ARIA is an R&D funding agency built to unlock scientific and technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We empower scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of what is technologically or scientifically possible. We reach across disciplines, sectors and institutions to shape, fund and manage projects across the R&D ecosystem, from startups to universities, to break down silos and discover new pathways. We're looking for proposals for our Scaling compute: AI at 1/1000th the cost programme for info see http://aria.org.uk/scaling-compute ### Lot Information Lot 1 The digital electronics industry that has transformed our lives in immeasurable ways is defined by the simple fact that, for 60+ years, we have benefited from exponentially more computing power, at lower cost. This fact is no longer true. For the first time in history, increased performance requires increasing costs and this coincides with an explosion of demand for more compute power driven by AI. Our current mechanisms for training AI systems utilise a narrow set of algorithms and hardware building blocks, which require significant capital to develop and manufacture. The combination of this significance and scarcity has far-reaching economic, geopolitical and societal implications. What we're shooting for: We see an opportunity to draw inspiration from natural processing systems, which innately process complex information more efficiently (on several orders or magnitude) than today's largest AI systems. Our goal: to increase + open up new vectors of progress in the field of computing by reducing the cost of AI hardware. In doing so, we'll open up new opportunities to reap the economic + social benefits of AI, from accelerating scientific research to improving the efficiency of our public services. In order to realise these targets, we're looking to fund three Technical Areas. For more info see http://aria.org.uk/scaling-compute Options: Additional funding, scope and duration could be added to any contracts awarded. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/007950-2024 | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Selective | | Procurement method details | Competitive procedure with negotiation | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 13 Mar 2024 | | Submission deadline | 7 May 2024 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | £39,000,000 | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Active | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | ADVANCED RESEARCH AND INVENTION AGENCY | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | North West London | | Postcode | NW1 2DB | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI36 Camden | | Local authority | Camden | | Electoral ward | St Pancras & Somers Town | | Westminster constituency | Holborn and St Pancras | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services ### Codes - 73110000 - Research services ## Release History - 13 Mar 2024 at 09:08 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/007950-2024 ## Notice URLs - http://aria.org.uk/scaling-compute - https://www.aria.org.uk/ - https://www.aria.org.uk/faqs-funding/ - https://www.aria.org.uk/scaling-compute/#timeline ## 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-h6vhtk-0447f1. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0447f1.json.