Predicting “severe weather and the impacts of climate change” will be faster and more accurate than ever before, thanks to confirmation of £1.2 billion of Government funding — announced by Business and Energy Secretary (and COP26 president) Alok Sharma on 17 February — to develop a ‘state of the art’ super-computer that is expected to be the world’s most advanced dedicated to weather and climate.
Data from this new super-computer will be used to help more accurately predict storms, select the most suitable locations for flood defences and predict changes to the global climate.
The new super-computer, to be managed by the Met Office, will also help to ensure that communities can be better prepared for weather disruption, including through: more advanced rainfall predictions, helping the Environment Agency to rapidly deploy mobile flood defences; better forecasting at airports, so they can plan for potential disruption; and more detailed information to help the energy sector mitigate against potential energy black-outs and surges.
The new super-computer will also strengthen the UK’s super-computing and data technology capabilities — and help to develop world-class skills in super-computing, data science, machine learning and Artificial Intelligence.
Penny Endersby, Met Office chief executive (
www.metoffice.gov.uk), said: “This investment will ultimately provide earlier and more-accurate warning of severe weather, plus the information needed to build a more resilient world in a changing climate.
"It will also help the UK to continue to lead the field in weather and climate science and services, working collaboratively to ensure that the benefits of our work help government, the public and industry to make better decisions to stay safe.”
The Government has also announced a £30 million investment in advanced super-computing services.
The funding will support seven High Performance Computing (HPC) services run by universities across the UK, including Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Edinburgh and Durham University.
These services will give researchers access to powerful systems to support work in areas that include Artificial Intelligence, energy storage and supply, and therapeutic drug design.