Server supplier to CERN's Large Hadron Collider moves to Coventry

A company, which provides servers and data storage to CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC), where experiments are run to understand conditions surrounding how the universe may have started, has moved its base to Coventry.

Format Ltd, from Poland, has moved into the Vanguard centre at the University of Warwick Science Park and wants to expand further.

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The company programmes and assembles servers for co-called high performance computing (HPC) clients, which typically involve high demand for processing power and data storage.

"While Format had achieved great success in Poland, including securing the original contract with CERN, our ability to truly tap into a global market was somewhat limited," said Piotr Sobstyl, director of Format.

"We began to research our options, and a lot of signs pointed to the UK as being a better place to base ourselves. However, we were unsure what the next steps were in getting ourselves over there."

Sobstyl said that being based at the Science Park would allow the firm to grow in a way that had not been possible before.

"We are confident that we will not only continue to do fantastic work with CERN, but to start relationships with many other HPC clients in the UK and around the world," he said.

"We are hoping to recruit around 10 highly skilled software and electronic engineers to help Format grow over the next three years, and with the talent coming out of the University, we think we will be able to fill these roles quickly."

CERN operates the giant 27km Large Hadron Collider under Switzerland and France, where subatomic particles are smashed together at almost the speed of light to simulate conditions fractions of a second after the 'Big Bang'.

It is Format’s servers, which are used to rapidly capture and process data from these collisions.

Martin Williams, the managing director of EBS, which specialises in helping foreign-owned companies move to the UK, and which is based at the University of Warwick science park, met Sobstyl during the pandemic and realised Format's potential to tap into the UK market.

William's said the UK’s ability to reach foreign firms through the British Embassy’s network of trade connections was "incredibly attractive"

"This is especially true for trading across the Atlantic with the likes of the USA. It is more difficult for companies in the EU to access that market, but UK-based companies with the credentials of Format have a much easier time doing so," he said.

"After speaking to Piotr and assessing his needs, we recommended the University of Warwick Science Park as a place to move to due to its flexibility in terms of office space, its links to the University, and its central location," he added.

Mark Tock, the chief operations officer at the University of Warwick Science Park, added: "We’re so pleased that such a high-achieving company has chosen to base itself here at the Science Park.

"Our connections to the best graduates at the University make the Science Park very attractive to companies such as Format, and we are looking forward to helping the company achieve its ambitious goals."

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