Wellcome Sanger Institute

RMBC aspired to update their network for flexibility and sustainability, driven by their Golden Rules and Digital Principles focused on privacy, compliance, and the highest standards. However, their existing IT infrastructure posed a significant obstacle to these ambitions. They needed a partner who truly understood their organisation and goals, and could help them navigate the complex journey from legacy systems to a modern, agile infrastructure that would support their long-term digital transformation vision.

We collaborated with the Institute's technical leadership to design an infrastructure solution capable of supporting their groundbreaking research. The strategy centred on implementing AI-optimised computing platforms that could handle massive datasets whilst providing the flexibility to adapt as sequencing techniques evolved and data volumes increased. 

Sustainability was also a core consideration, with every computational process evaluated for its environmental impact to support world-class science responsibly.

As Dell Technologies' titanium partner and systems integrator, we deployed Dell PowerEdge XE-Series servers powered by NVIDIA accelerated computing technology. We also established ongoing technical planning sessions to maintain operational efficiency and ensure the infrastructure evolves alongside research requirements. 

We kept data processing and storage on-site, eliminating network delays and providing optimal performance, so that their researchers can “fail fast and iterate frequently”.

The Institute's sequencing capacity has increased exponentially. What previously required years for a single draft genome now takes just seven hours – a transformational improvement in both speed and quality that has redefined the boundaries of genomic research.

The infrastructure supports analysis of remarkably large genomes, including mistletoe at nearly 100 gigabase pairs – work that scientists once considered technically unfeasible is now achievable, opening new avenues for biological discovery.

AI technology is revolutionising the Institute's research methods. Using advanced computing platforms, scientists are developing new genomic models to enhance data quality and accelerate analysis, making sophisticated genetic research accessible to biodiversity-rich regions worldwide.