ACADEMIA

Cray Inc. today announced that the Meteorological Research Institute (METRI) of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) has selected a Cray XD1 supercomputer with Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors to support its Forecast Research Laboratory in improving the accuracy of atmospheric analyses and weather predictions -- including challenging short-term predictions known as nowcasting. The Cray XD1 system will be a key component for researchers using the Forecaster's Analysis System (FAS), a numerical weather prediction system that requires the leading performance and scalability delivered by the Cray XD1 supercomputer. "We chose the Cray XD1 supercomputer with Dual Core AMD Opteron processors because it provides the processing power and Linux-based ease of use we require to support our compute-intensive meteorological activities," said Dr. Chun-Ho Cho, director of the METRI Forecast Research Laboratory. "The Cray XD1 system will enable us to advance our predictive capabilities and enhance our research infrastructure, and will ultimately help to protect lives and property by anticipating natural disasters during extreme weather conditions." "We are excited that METRI is leading the way by becoming the first meteorological research organization in Asia to adopt the Cray XD1 supercomputer technology," said Per Nyberg, Cray's Earth Sciences Business Manager. "METRI joins organizations such as the USDA Forest Service in putting the Cray XD1 system to work creating complex models that would not have been feasible with older technology or lower-performing cluster systems. The dual-core technology integrated into the Cray XD1 system's high-speed interconnect architecture provides higher density for increased speed and scalability at lower cost."