Peter Dinham
Monday, 31 August 2009 15:40
IT Industry -
Market
Page 1 of 3
New Zealand’s National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) has paid out big money to purchase an IBM supercomputer for use in environmental forecasting in one of the country’s most significant investments in science.
NIWA chief executive, John Morgan, said today
the IBM power 575 supercomputer and supporting bought by the
organisation for NZ$12.7 million, would be the most powerful
supercomputer located in the Southern Hemisphere.
According to Morgan, the supercomputer would provide benefits for all
New Zealanders, as accurate environmental forecasting was essential for
the future growth of New Zealand’s most important industries.
“Industries that are climate-sensitive - such as the energy sector,
farming, horticulture and tourism - will benefit directly from NIWA.s
ability to make more accurate and more specific forecasts. The new
supercomputer will also allow NIWA to improve early warnings of the
effects of severe events, such as flooding and storm surges.”
IBM New Zealand managing director, Jennifer Moxon said the IBM
supercomputer will enable NIWA.s environmental forecasting models and
“will help New Zealanders make smarter decisions about how best to
protect themselves and their families, properties and businesses from
flooding and other hazards caused by severe weather-related events.”
Moxon said the new supercomputer had one hundred times the
computational power of NIWA.s current supercomputer and five hundred
times the storage, and will be used to simulate New Zealand’s past,
present and future climate.
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