Rolls-Royce to supply engines for Saudi supercomputer facility

A press statement said the order was valued in the “double-digit millions” and would see the British firm supply KAUST with 12 mtu Kinetic PowerPacks this summer.

The systems, equipped with dynamically rotating kinetic energy accumulators, will be used to provide KAUST’s supercomputing facility and data center with clean and conditioned power supplies.

The systems are designed for humid ambient conditions and temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius. The scope of supply also includes medium-voltage switchgear and transformers as well as two control stations.

Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said the company was “delighted” that KAUST had chosen it as a partner.

“The choice underlines our recently expanded expertise in the field of dynamic uninterruptible power supplies and is a major success,” he added.

Bernard Hanssens, managing director of the Dubai subsidiary, said the two parties had been involved in discussions since 2016. “We were able to fulfil all of the customer’s wishes and requirements and thus put together a complete solution, that includes substantial local content,” he said.

The engines for the supercomputer facility will be produced in Belgium, fitted into custom-made enclosures in the UAE, and installed on site at the end of the year.

Hanssens said that Rolls-Royce had already supplied several similar systems in Jeddah, Riyadh and Jubail, as well as in the UAE, Oman and Qatar.

In January, Saudi Aramco and STC announced the launch of Dammam 7, a new supercomputer ranking among the top 10 most powerful in the world.