| Practice area: | Data & technology |
|---|---|
| Client: | UK Research and Innovation |
| Published: | 23 March, 2026 |
| Keywords: | Cost-benefit analysis High performance computing HPC impact evaluation UKRI |
London Economics was commissioned by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to provide an independent economic evaluation of the benefits of ARCHER2, the UK’s national supercomputer, over its operational lifetime.
The study found that the economic impact of ARCHER2, hosted by EPCC at the University, has enabled more than £4.2bn in benefits to the UK economy over its five-year operational period. This is equivalent to a return of £8.30 for every £1 of public funding since launching in 2021 when compared to costs of £100m to build the supercomputer and £400m of research funding.
The majority of the economic benefits – some £3.7bn – are attributed to academic research and development (R&D) undertaken on ARCHER2. These benefits arise through activities such as knowledge transfers and the commercialisation of research conducted using ARCHER2 or by facilitating subsequent private sector R&D.
Further economic benefits of around £517m stem from the formation of spinout companies, the creation of new products and services, and firms benefitting from staff trained in computational R&D moving into industry.
Professor Mark Parsons, Director of EPCC and Dean of Research Computing, commented on the study: “This report provides a resounding justification of the value of Government investment in large-scale national supercomputing. EPCC works very hard to deliver an excellent service for our users. This report shows how our users repay our efforts by delivering world-class research and real value to the UK economy.”
The published report can be accessed here.