Climate Change Supercomputer Criticized Over Emissions

January 22, 2009

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The new IBM supercomputer intended to measure the affect of climate change in the U.K. is being criticized for producing a large amount of GHG emissions, RedOrbit reports.

Met Office’s super computer, to begin operations later this year, will emit an estimated 14,000 tons of CO2 annually, according to Dave Britton, the Met Office’s chief press officer. That’s 4,000 tons more than the amount produced by the office’s current supercomputer.

Alan Dickinson, Met Office Director of Science, says the benefits of running the massive supercomputer outweigh the risks – supercomputers such as the one purchased by the office are the only way assess the potential damage that global warming could cause.

Last April, IBM unveiled a new supercomputer, the Power (or Hydro-Cluster) 575, which can provide five times the performance of its predecessor on 40 percent of the power.

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This is exactly the sort of thing we want to raise awareness of. Sometimes its the most unlikely things that significantly contribute to climate change.

Climate Change | January 23rd, 2009

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