31 Aug 2009

NIWA buys supercomputer

5:16 pm on 31 August 2009

The National Institute for Water and Atmospheric research (NIWA) is buying a supercomputer to help with its environmental forecasting.

The $12.7 million investment will mean data can be processed up to one hundred times faster than at present.

Chief scientist for atmospheric and hazards research at NIWA, Murray Poulter, says it is hoped the new computer will enable the institute to forecast floods and other hazards more accurately, helping save lives and property.

The computer will enable more detailed environmental forecasts, he says, which is especially important for climate-sensitive industries such as agriculture and horticulture.