NCAR shows off progress at Wyoming Supercomputing Center

CHEYENNE – The future home of one of the world’s largest supercomputers is almost complete outside Cheyenne.

Major construction at the National Center for Atmospheric Research-Wyoming Supercomputing Center is wrapping up this August, and crews will start to test the facility’s infrastructure while administrators are set to select the supercomputer that will occupy the site this fall. The center will allow scientists to run extremely complex computer models and processes to answer questions relating to climate change and weather forecasting, including the formation of hurricanes and tornadoes and numerous other fields of scientific research.

Officials from NCAR, based in Boulder, and the University of Wyoming, and other partners and supporters, including Wyoming Governor Matt Mead, participated in a site tour on June 10.

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“It’s as good an example as you’ll ever see of industry, government and higher education working together,´ said UW president Tom Buchanan.

Construction began last June, after NCAR and its managing agency, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, decided in 2007 to locate the supercomputer center in Wyoming. NCAR currently houses several supercomputers at its Mesa Laboratory in Boulder, but the Wyoming center will increase the agency’s computing capabilities by 15 to 20 times, said Rick Anthes, UCAR president.

The $70 million building in Cheyenne’s North Range Business Park has been designed to meet energy-efficiency LEED building standards and to take advantage of the cool and dry climate of the region to optimize supercomputer operations. Data centers in other areas often rely on intensive heating and chilling systems.

The local climate, the state’s broadband services, and cheap power resources all helped Wyoming land the center, and the network of partners, including Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power and the Wyoming Business Council, hope to woo other data centers.

“We have at least half a dozen serious conversations going on now with companies that are looking at data-center expansion here in Wyoming,´ said Bob Jensen, Wyoming Business Council CEO.

The supercomputer will cost another $25 million to $30 million and should be ready for testing in early 2012.