Boost for supercomputing facilities

A new phase of supercomputing has been launched at the University. David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, announced the next stage of development of two giant computers, HECToR (High-End Computing Terascale Resources) and BlueGene Q, at an event at the University. The development marks the next chapter in the UK's supercomputing programme. Furthering research. The increased computing capacity and performance will help UK researchers work across a spectrum of scientific challenges. These include forecasting the impact of climate change, the fundamental structure of matter, and fluctuations in ocean currents. Supercomputing support will also enable projects on the spread of epidemics, the design of new materials, modelling the structure and evolution of the Universe, and development of new drugs.