Dutch Weather Institute buys SUN Fire superDe Bildt 08 October 2001 The Dutch Royal Weather Institute (KNMI) has bought SUN Fire 15K supercomputer. Early next year, the first 44 processors will be delivered. The machine, one of the fastest in the Netherlands, will be upgraded later to 84 processors. The machine will be used for weather prediction and climate research. Occasionally, the Netherlands suffers from a storm that develops so locally and quickly, they are difficult to predict. The new machine helps with the prediction by allowing to use a more detailed version of the popular HIRLAM prediction model.
The High-Resolution Limited Area Model (HIRLAM) is a widely used European model for atmosperic modelling. It is used by in a number of European countries. However, the more accurate the model is, the more computer power it needs. For more information on the HIRLAM model used by the KNMI look at http://www.knmi.nl/hirlam.
The new supercomputer will also be used for climate modelling and simulation research.
Ad Emmen |
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