(WTXL) -- The machines that are the nerve center for the majority of the nation's forecast model data -- two supercomputers -- are receiving significant upgrades to their computing capacity and power, officials from NOAA announced Monday.
Each of the supercomputers will triple their current computing capacity by the end of this month to about 1.5 petaflops before reaching a total upgraded amount of five petaflops by October.
A petaflop is a unit of measurement for a computer's ability to perform a quardrillion floating-point calculations per second.
The improvement is expected to increase the length and detail of commonly used model data, including NOAA's Global Forecast System.
“These supercomputing upgrades will significantly improve our ability to translate data into actionable information, which in turn will lead to more timely, accurate, and reliable forecasts,” says NOAA administrator Kathryn Sullivan.
System upgrades started in July 2013 and have already been applied to shorter-term and frequently updated model sources. The improvements are part of a $44 million investment through contracts with IBM and subcontractor Cray, Inc.
