--- title: "Scaling compute: AI at 1/1000th the cost (Technical Area 4)" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-046f93" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-046f93" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-046f93.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-046f93.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "ADVANCED RESEARCH AND INVENTION AGENCY" published: "2024-06-12" --- # Scaling compute: AI at 1/1000th the cost (Technical Area 4) Buyer: ADVANCED RESEARCH AND INVENTION AGENCY Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-046f93 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-046f93) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-046f93.json) ## Summary The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) has initiated a tender process for the procurement of services under the title 'Scaling compute: AI at 1/1000th the cost (Technical Area 4)'. This tender falls under the industry category of services within the test and evaluation classification. The deadline for proposal submission is 26 June 2024 (12:00 BST). ARIA, based in London, United Kingdom, is looking to fund multiple applicants through this programme which aims to revolutionize AI hardware at a reduced cost. This opportunity created by ARIA's tender process is well-suited for businesses in the digital electronics industry with expertise in research services. The tender is currently at the active stage, employing a selective procurement method with a competitive procedure involving negotiations. Successful applicants stand to benefit from a funding amount of 830,000 GBP, with additional budget, scope, and duration potential. Businesses interested in innovation and test and evaluation frameworks for AI hardware development should consider participating in this competitive opportunity for growth. ## 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 this Request for Proposals, we are looking for teams to submit proposals for Technical Area (TA) 4, as outlined here http://aria.org.uk/scaling-compute TA 4 represents the test and evaluation component of the programme. Applicants for TA 4 will be asked to develop testing frameworks which can be used to evaluate Creator outputs through the lifecycle of the programme. Options: Additional budget, 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/018247-2024 | | 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 | 12 Jun 2024 | | Submission deadline | 26 Jun 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 | £830,000 | | 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 - 73430000 - Test and evaluation ## Release History - 12 Jun 2024 at 16:17 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018247-2024 ## Notice URLs - http://aria.org.uk/scaling-compute - https://www.aria.org.uk/ - https://www.aria.org.uk/scaling-compute - https://www.aria.org.uk/scaling-compute/ ## 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-046f93. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-046f93.json.