The British hydromet center will be able to accurately predict the weather on individual streets

The UK will spend £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) to purchase the world's most powerful supercomputer for weather forecasting.

According to a government announcement, hewill be able to create regional forecasts with accuracy down to individual streets or sections with an area of ​​1 km2, which is 10 times better than the current one. This will be possible due to the fact that the new supercomputer will actually create a virtual copy of the Earth’s atmosphere, taking into account wind speed, temperature, pressure and other indicators.

In addition to weather forecasting, hehelp emergency services install in advanceflood barriers, optimize the energy system and mitigate the negative effects of climate change. In parallel, its computing power will also be used by scientists to develop new drugs, artificial intelligence systems and other all kinds of research.

So far, the UK government has notreports which supercomputer will be installed, but its commissioning is scheduled for 2022. Three years after the launch, an update should take place, which will triple its performance, making it 20 times more powerful.

Computer technology offers a lotopportunities not only direct, but also indirect. For example, scientists have recently used existing undersea fiber optic cables as seismographs to collect data on the planet's tectonic activity.

</p>