Fujitsu Wins Supercomputer Bid from Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau

Tokyo, June 25, 2012

Fujitsu today announced that the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) of Taiwan has chosen its PRIMEHPC FX10 supercomputer system for use in numerical weather predictions.

The new system's core configuration, based on the PRIMEHPC FX10 supercomputer, will be delivered over three years in stages starting from 2012. In the first phase, operations are set to commence in January 2013, and realizing top theoretical peak performance—exceeding one petaflop—is planned for December 2014. This level of performance is approximately 100 times greater than that of the CWB's existing system, making it one of the world's leading supercomputers in the field of meteorology.

In addition to daily weather forecasting for Taiwan, the system will improve the country's ability to monitor and forecast typhoons, tropical storms and other meteorological hazards. These are matters of particular importance for Taiwan, given its location on the border of tropical and subtropical climate zones. Also anticipated is that the system will enhance Taiwan's monitoring and analysis of long-term climate change.

Background to Deployment of the New System

Established in 1941, Taiwan's CWB is the governmental body tasked with monitoring and forecasting weather patterns, earthquakes, and tsunamis for all of Taiwan. It built its first numerical weather prediction system in 1983, and since then has employed supercomputers to assist in weather forecasting.

In selecting the Fujitsu supercomputer, the CWB recognized the system's outstanding computing performance in large-scale applications used in weather forecasting, its exceptional reliability in supporting meteorological operations, its low-power consumption, enabling adherence to strict energy requirements, and the overall expertise in the field of meteorology that Fujitsu can bring to the table.

By deploying the new supercomputer system, the CWB aims to quickly monitor and improve its ability to accurately predict weather hazards. In so doing, the CWB seeks to minimize damage from weather disasters that hit Taiwan, such as the many typhoons and tropical storms from tropical and subtropical climate zones. It also seeks to enhance its ability to monitor and analyze long-term climate change.

Overview of the New System

The new system will be deployed in stages over three years starting in 2012. It is configured with Fujitsu's PRIMEHPC FX10, and will ultimately have a theoretical peak performance exceeding one petaflop. This supercomputer system will deliver performance 100 times greater than the CWB's existing system.

Comment from Director Shiang-shyoung Shen, Meteorological Information Center, CWB

"When we were planning to upgrade to a new system, we put together a plan for the computing resources required to further improve the analytical precision of our weather forecasting model and to employ large-scale applications. For this project, Fujitsu presented us with a very comprehensive set of solutions and services. This collaboration with Fujitsu will allow us to gain new technology and experience, and will improve the precision of our weather forecasts for all of Taiwan and contribute to reducing damage caused by meteorological disasters."

Comment from President, CEO Ichiro Ikegami, Fujitsu Taiwan

"The new CWB system, once fully configured, will be one of the world's foremost supercomputers in the field of meteorology. In addition to the CWB's existing applications in the field of numerical weather prediction, we anticipate that the new system will enable an expansion into such areas as disaster prevention and mitigation. We are proud to become a CWB partner, and committed to providing strong support as we carry out our activities and responsibilities."

Comment from President Masahiko Yamada, Technical Computing Solutions Unit, Fujitsu Limited

"Fujitsu's objective is to contribute to building a prosperous society where people have peace of mind through the benefits of supercomputers. This new system was selected based on the CWB's high evaluation of our cutting-edge supercomputer and expertise in the field of meteorology. Given our track record in meteorological applications, I am confident that the new system will produce results in weather forecasting, disaster prevention, and other fields that benefit Taiwan and the world."