Rothamsted Research Secures £4m Funding for Digital Agriculture Advancements
Rothamsted Research, a pioneering agricultural research institute, has received a £4m grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to bolster its high performance computing (HPC) capabilities. This investment will propel Rothamsted to the forefront of digital agriculture research in the UK. The institute aims to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies, enabling faster and more cost-effective data analysis and increased throughput.
With the upgraded HPC infrastructure, Rothamsted plans to establish a strong foundation for data-driven science, harnessing the power of AI. The funding will enable the institute to optimize energy efficiency, reduce operational costs, and improve sustainability. Professor Chris Baker, Director of Intelligent Data Ecosystems at Rothamsted, envisions a future where the enhanced HPC capability plays a crucial role in offering reliable and timely solutions to sustainability challenges faced by the farming community.
Rothamsted’s Digital Twins pilot studies at the North Wyke Farm Platform (NWFP) in Devon will also benefit greatly from the HPC upgrade. The NWFP, known as Britain’s most measured and instrumented farm, generates an immense amount of data related to the impacts of livestock on grassland. These datasets, comprising over 80 million measurements, hold the key to identifying sustainable land management strategies that can bolster food production, facilitate nutrient transfer, and address climate change.
Professor Baker explains that a digital twin is similar to a weather forecast on television, where simulations based on billions of data points produce multiple scenarios. The same concept can be applied to farming, generating predictions for crop yields and greenhouse gas emissions using data from the farm, weather stations, and satellite images. This technology can help advise farmers on the viability of crops in a changing climate. Through high performance computing, Rothamsted aims to provide better estimates of uncertainties in these predictions.
Additionally, the improved memory and processing capabilities offered by the HPC will advance studies in soil metagenomics. Rothamsted currently holds an extensive dataset of 257 soil metagenomes, comprising a staggering 88.2 billion sequences. This vast data collection, equivalent to around 8,000 human genomes, allows researchers to delve into the complexity of the soil microbiome and explore novel methods of land cultivation. The aim is to identify insights that can drive advancements in fertilizer treatments, disease control, and soil resilience.
Rothamsted expects the new HPC system to be fully operational by March 2025. The institute’s commitment to digital agriculture research, combined with the infusion of substantial funding, holds the promise of transforming farming practices and equipping the industry with more sustainable solutions.
As Rothamsted embarks on this digital transformation journey, it aims to create a future where artificial intelligence and high performance computing pave the way for innovative solutions in agriculture. By harnessing the power of these technologies, Rothamsted seeks to address the pressing challenges faced by the farming community and facilitate a more sustainable and resilient future for agriculture in the UK and beyond.
