The Boulder-based National Center for Atmospheric Research on
Monday opened its Wyoming Supercomputing Center, which will be
used to conduct Earth science research. At the heart of the
Wyoming center is a $30 million, 1.5-petaflop IBM supercomputer
called Yellowstone that can run about 1.5 quadrillion operations
per second. Some of the initial research that will begin this
fall includes studying atmospheric disturbances and subterranean
faults to help better predict natural hazards such as tornadoes,
earthquakes and droughts. “This center will help transform our
understanding of the natural world in ways that offer enormous
benefits to society,” Thomas Bogdan, president of NCAR manager
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, said in a
statement. “Whether it's better understanding tornadoes and
hurricanes, or deciphering the forces that lead to geomagnetic
storms, the Yellowstone supercomputer and the (NCAR-Wyoming
Supercomputing Center) will lead to improved forecasts and
better protection for the pu