● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 positive
NOAA selects Google Cloud for Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System
Key points
- NOAA selected Google Cloud for its WCOSS.
- WCOSS will use Google Cloud H4D VMs for HPC.
- This is a shift from on-premises to cloud-first infrastructure.
- NOAA becomes one of the first NWP centers in public cloud.
NOAA's Cloud Transition for Weather Prediction
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced Google Cloud as the primary provider for its Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System (WCOSS). This decision marks a significant shift for NOAA, moving its operational Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) from traditional on-premises computing to a cloud-first infrastructure. This transition positions NOAA as one of the first global NWP centers to adopt a public cloud for its core operations.
Technology Behind the Modernization
Google Cloud's H4D VMs, powered by fifth-generation AMD EPYC™ processors, will serve as the computing backbone for NOAA's WCOSS. These VMs are designed for compute-intensive workloads like numerical weather prediction, providing the necessary processing power and low-latency networking for large, tightly-coupled simulations. This infrastructure aims to enhance the scale, speed, and reliability of weather modeling for the United States.
Impact on Operations and Research
The move to cloud-based High-Performance Computing (HPC) is intended to provide NOAA's workforce with a more flexible environment. This will enable meteorologists and researchers to adapt future modeling innovations more quickly. The modernization is expected to support the United States in leading global weather modeling efforts.
Long-Standing Collaboration
This announcement is part of an ongoing collaboration between NOAA and Google Cloud. Previous joint efforts include streamlining environmental data sharing, tracking wildfires, and advancing marine conservation. NOAA also transitioned to Google Workspace for its collaboration suite in 2011, and NOAA Fisheries previously piloted a cloud compute accelerator.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Primary sources
GitHub nmfs-opensci/CloudComputingSetupReporting from
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has chosen Google Cloud as the primary provider for its Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System (WCOSS). This move transitions NOAA's weather prediction infrastructure from on-premises to a cloud-first model, making it one of the first operational Numerical Weather Prediction centers globally to adopt a public cloud for its core operations.