Hong Kong Observatory to deploy new supercomputer

By Computerworld Hong Kong Staff | Jun 30, 2009

Thumbnail: 

The Hong Kong Observatory said it will start the implementation of a new system this year for more accurate weather forecast.

According to the Hong Kong Observatory, it will be able to introduce weather forecast by district next year at the earliest, providing hourly updates on temperature, humidity, wind, rainfall, and UV index of different districts in Hong Kong and forecast of their changes in the next 24 hours.

Observatory director Lee Boon Ying said the organization applied for supercomputer replacement funding in 2007. The new 5 TeraFLOPS system, valued at HK$48.5 million, will be 250 times faster than existing 0.02 TeraFLOPS system that has been in use for 10 years. Lee added that as the new system is expected to boost weather forecast accuracy by about 1% every year.

Compared with other cities Like Guangzhou with a 1.1 TeraFLOPS system and Beijing with a 6 TeraFLOPS system, Hong Kong's existing supercomputer is slow and outdated, Lee said.

"The new supercomputer does a better job in differentiating conditions among the various districts," said Lee. "It differentiates areas by every 10km, compared with the existing system' 20km. Thus, the new system can help provide more detailed forecast by districts."