A new Met Office supercomputer makes UK world-leader in weather and climate prediction.
Image © Basehunters
Met Office just purchased a £97 million ($156 million) Cray XC40 supercomputer, that will be 13 times more powerful than the current system and will have 120,000 times more memory than a top-end smartphone.
‘Enabling forecast updates every hour and the ability to provide very high detail weather information for precise geographical areas, the world-leading High Performance Computer (HPC) will help the UK to predict disruptive weather events such as flooding, strong winds, fog and heavy snowfall more effectively.’
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, said: “We are a country fascinated by the weather, so it’s no surprise that from early barometers to this weather supercomputer, we’ve always led the way in developing technology to predict the weather.
This £97m investment is a crucial part of the government’s wider drive to make the UK the best place in the world to do science and research. By bringing world-class technology to the south west, we are also boosting regional investment and expertise, creating a stronger economy and fairer society.”
Universities, Science and Cities Minister Greg Clark said: “This is an investment that says the UK believes in science, putting us up there with the very best in the world enabled by technology that will make huge strides in weather and climate forecasting.
I have been eager to make this happen for some time, and I am confident that the supercomputer will make this nation more resilient and better prepared for high impact weather and boost the economy – improving lives up and down the country.”
source Met Office