NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center

NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center is a premier high-performance computing facility dedicated to advancing atmospheric, Earth system, and computational sciences. Located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the center is operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) on behalf of the National Science Foundation (NSF). It provides essential computational resources for the research community, supporting large-scale simulations in climate modeling, weather prediction, and related geoscience disciplines.

History and establishment

The facility was conceived through a landmark public-private partnership announced in 2007, involving UCAR, the State of Wyoming, University of Wyoming, Cheyenne LEADS, and Wyoming Business Council. A primary goal was to create a world-class computing center to support the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) while stimulating economic and technological development in the Rocky Mountain region. Construction began in 2010 on a site provided by the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities, and the center was officially dedicated in October 2012. The project received significant funding from the National Science Foundation and the state of Wyoming, with key support from Senator Mike Enzi and Senator John Barrasso. Its establishment marked a strategic shift for NCAR, consolidating its major computing assets into a single, modern, and efficient facility outside of Boulder, Colorado.

Computing resources and capabilities

The center houses some of the world's most powerful supercomputers dedicated to open scientific research. Its inaugural system was Yellowstone, an IBM iDataPlex cluster that debuted in 2012 and was among the fastest computers globally. This was succeeded by Cheyenne, a SGI ICE XA system installed in 2016, which provided substantially increased performance for complex climate and weather models. The facility is designed for exceptional energy efficiency, utilizing advanced cooling technologies and drawing power from the High Plains grid. It features massive data storage and archival systems managed by the Globus Toolkit and supports high-speed data transfer networks like the NSF's Advanced Networking Initiative. The computing environment is integrated with NCAR's Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) to provide comprehensive user support and software services.

Scientific research and applications

Research enabled at the center spans a vast range of geophysical disciplines, fundamentally advancing the understanding of Earth system science. It is a primary resource for running the Community Earth System Model (CESM) and the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF), which are used for projections of future climate change and high-resolution storm simulations. Scientists from universities nationwide, including the University of Wyoming and University of Texas at Austin, use its capacity to study phenomena such as hurricane intensification, Arctic sea ice loss, and regional water cycles. The facility also supports research in solar physics, space weather, air quality modeling, and computational fluid dynamics. These large-scale simulations generate petabytes of data, which are analyzed and visualized to inform critical reports like those from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Management and operations

The center is managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. Day-to-day operations and user support are conducted by NCAR's Computational and Information Systems Laboratory. Strategic oversight and resource allocation are guided by a governing board that includes representatives from UCAR, the State of Wyoming, and the University of Wyoming. The Wyoming-NCAR Alliance plays a key role in fostering collaboration between local scientists and the national research community. Operational funding is secured through competitive NSF grants, notably the NSF Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction program, while the state of Wyoming provides ongoing support for facility enhancements and educational partnerships.

Impact and significance

The center has had a profound impact on both scientific discovery and regional development. It has positioned the United States at the forefront of computational geoscience, providing irreplaceable tools for assessing climate risks and improving severe weather forecasts. By centralizing top-tier computing, it has accelerated research published in leading journals like *Science* and *Nature* and has trained a new generation of computational scientists. For Wyoming, it has catalyzed the growth of a technology sector in Cheyenne, attracting related businesses and establishing the region as a hub for data-intensive research. The collaboration stands as a model for successful partnerships between federal agencies, academic institutions, and state governments, ensuring continued American leadership in essential scientific computing.

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