Cheyenne

The Cheyenne supercomputer at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) in Cheyenne, Wyoming began operation as one of the world’s most powerful and energy-efficient computers. Ranked in November 2016 as the 20th most powerful computer in the world by Top500, the 5.34-petaflops system is capable of more than triple the amount of scientific computing performed by NCAR’s previous supercomputer, Yellowstone. It also is three times more energy efficient than Yellowstone, with a peak computation rate of more than 3 billion calculations per second for every watt of energy consumed. The National Science Foundation and the State of Wyoming through an appropriation to the University of Wyoming funded Cheyenne to provide the United States with a major new tool to advance understanding of the atmospheric and related Earth system sciences. High-performance computers such as Cheyenne allow researchers to run increasingly detailed models that simulate complex processes to estimate how they might unfold in the future. These predictions give resource managers and policy experts valuable information for planning ahead and mitigating risk. Cheyenne’s users advance the knowledge needed for saving lives, protecting property, and enabling U.S. businesses to better compete in the global marketplace. Scientists across the country will use Cheyenne to study phenomena ranging from weather and climate to wildfires, seismic activity, and airflows that generate power at wind farms. Their findings lay the groundwork for better protecting society from natural disasters, lead to more detailed projections of seasonal and longer-term weather and climate variability and change, and improve weather and water forecasts that are needed by economic sectors from agriculture and energy to transportation and tourism. The supercomputer’s name was chosen to honor the people of Cheyenne, Wyoming, who supported the installation of the NWSC and its computers there. The name also commemorates the 150th anniversary of the city, which was founded in 1867 and named for the Native American Cheyenne Nation.