Fujitsu provides supercomputers for forecasting of linear rainbands and torrential rains

Fujitsu announced that it provided a new supercomputer system to the Japan Meteorological Agency (hereinafter JMA) (1) for use in linear rainband forecasting. The new supercomputer system is able to predict the occurrence of linear rainbands (2) which can trigger heavy rain, leading to disasters like landslides and flooding. The JMA will start operations of the new system on March 1, 2023. The system is based on the “FUJITSU Supercomputer PRIMEHPC FX1000” (3) hardware, which features the same A64FX CPU as the supercomputer “Fugaku,” jointly developed by RIKEN (4) and Fujitsu. Reaching a theoretical peak performance of about 31.1 PFLOPS (5), the new system will help the JMA to significantly improve the accuracy of its forecasting of linear rainbands. With the new system, Fujitsu will support the JMA in its efforts to provide more accurate and rapid forecasts, allowing authorities to improve preparedness for heavy rain events and offer earlier warnings in case of disasters. In this way, Fujitsu demonstrates its commitment to contribute to the realization of a safer, more secure, and resilient society through disaster prevention and mitigation. New system to realize greater accuracy for forecasts, natural disasters Weather-related disasters including landslides and floods caused by sudden heavy rain falls represent an increasingly severe risk in many regions worldwide. J...