Cray Supercomputer To Forecast Disasters in AsiaCray Supercomputer To Forecast Disasters in Asia

Korea Meteorological Administration will use a Cray XD1 supercomputer to improve the accuracy of weather predictions at its forecast research laboratory.

The supercomputer will be a key component for researchers using the Forecaster's Analysis System (FAS), a numerical system requiring intensive computing capabilities. The system's Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors help produce challenging short-term predictions known as nowcasts.

"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," Chun-Ho Cho, director of the METRI Forecast Research Laboratory said in a statement released Monday.

METRI, part of Korea's Ministry of Science and Technology, is the first meteorological research organization in Asia to adopt the Cray XD1 technology, said Per Nyberg, Cray's Earth Sciences Business Manager.

The Cray system combines high-speed direct connect architecture, HPC-optimized Linux, and management and reconfigurable computer technologies. It is built to simulate, analyze and solve complex problems for computational chemistry, environmental forecasting and computer-aided engineering.

The AMD 64-based Cray XD1 system supports 32- and 64-bit HPC applications on ADM Opteron single- or dual-core processors. The Cray XD1 supercomputer is capable of accelerating applications using FPGA technology linked to the direct-connect structure.