The new Atos supercomputer system will come into operation in mid-2022 at the new European Weather Center, hosted in Bologna at the Tecnopolo (Ex Manifattura Tabacchi), together with the European supercomputer Leonardo.
The new data center, which is becoming one of the most important European big data hubs, will be able to offer over 80% of the national supercomputing capacity, 20% of the European one, with practical applications in all sectors: transition ecological and the fight against climate change, digital transition, healthcare, urban times and logistics, sustainable businesses and production processes, agriculture.
The ECMWF – European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which will manage the node of the European Weather Center with a staff of 25 members, will thus be able to pursue its strategic objectives, starting with the improvement of temperature and wind forecasts, and by the greater frequency – from biweekly to daily – of long-term forecasts, also with a view to adequate prevention from extreme weather events.
The assignment of the European Weather Center will take place in May 2022, passing from the current site of Reading (UK) to Bologna, with a four-year agreement, envisaging both operational and research activities. In that period, the Data Center will provide weather forecasts to over 30 countries and will constitute the largest data archive in the world.