The supercomputer that correctly predicts time will cost BRL 200 million

Brazil plans to invest BRL 200 million in a supercomputer to more accurately predict the weather. The National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) is preparing a tender to purchase the equipment and put it into operation from November.however, it will reach full capacity only in 2026.

The application will be carried out in four modules. In the first phase, the super machine will be more powerful than Tupã, the device currently used by Inpe. Each year the supercomputer will receive a unit that will increase its capacity. All equipment will be powered by solar energy.

With the new, more powerful machine, the country should also gain a new numerical model for weather forecasting. The system, which will be developed by Brazilian scientists under the coordination of Inpe, was named. Monan (Ocean-land-Atmosphere Predictive Model) or Predictive Model of Oceans, Land Surfaces and Atmosphere in Portugal.

Monan will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning to improve numerical predictions for all of South America. The model will be able to predict precipitation with the exact start time, end time and location up to three days in advance. The system will also be able to predict climate trends three months before they occur.

Closing Tupã

The arrival of the new supercomputer will retire Tupã. Considered one of the most powerful machines in the world when it was purchased in 2010, the machine is experiencing a technological delay and lack of spare parts. At the time of acquisition, it cost R$50 million and had an estimated useful life of six years.

Tupã consists of several interconnected processors that perform calculations in parallel, allowing large amounts of data to be processed in a short time. To perform the weather forecast, the equipment is fed with data from the atmosphere, oceans, ice and snow fields, vegetation and biogeochemical cycles.

Since 2017, forecast processing has been done with the support of the Cray XC50 equipment. A Due to the lack of funds to pay for electricity and maintenance, Tupã was expected to close completely in 2021.. However, the machine has been upgraded and continues to work.