University's Advanced Computing and Emerging Technologies (Acet) Centre IBM supercomputer is now the most powerful academic computer in Britain, and the second most powerful computer in the UK overall
The University of Reading now has the most powerful academic supercomputer in the UK - meaning even greater accuracy in research on areas which affect the lives of millions of people.
This means Reading is not only at the forefront of the most accurate research into air pollution modelling, climate change, financial modelling, drug discovery, computational biology and meteorology, but now leads the strategic field of computational science.
Chris Guy, head of systems engineering at the university said: "This powerful supercomputer will vastly improve the capability of the University of Reading scientists and others to model many aspects of our world, including such things as climate change, novel drugs and financial markets.
"More accurate predictions in each of these areas, as a result of better modelling, will enable us to make real changes to people's lives by, for example, showing where flood defences should be built or speeding up the development of life-saving drugs.
"The Acet Centre, School of Systems Engineering and the University is very proud to be able to offer these services to the academic community.
"Our students will greatly benefit by school staff being at the forefront of world-leading research with so many exciting and challenging applications".
Thanks to a massive upgrade, the university's Advanced Computing and Emerging Technologies (Acet) Centre IBM supercomputer is now the most powerful academic computer in Britain, and the second most powerful computer in the UK overall - second only to the supercomputer at nearby AWE in Aldermaston.
Since 1999, IBM has had close links with Professor Vassil Alexandrov, the university's leading expert on computational science and director of the university's Acet Centre.
Professor Alexandrov said: "The possibilities of use for this computer are endless.
"In addition to the advance of computational science, we will be at the cutting edge of giving more precise pollution predictions, speeding up the design of lifesaving drugs, investigating scenarios in climate change and thus making real changes to people's well being."
