Manchin Announces $100 Million For New High-Performance Computer System In Fairmont

Manchin Announces $100 Million For New High-Performance Computer System In Fairmont

Charleston, WV - Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $100,000,000 from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to General Dynamics Information Technology for NOAA's newest high-performance computer (HPC) system, called Rhea, in Fairmont, West Virginia. This funding is made possible by Senator Manchin's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

Rhea will monitor marine life species, weather forecasting and modeling of specific environmental phenomena, such as atmospheric rivers, fire weather, and hurricane intensification using Earth observations. The new computing capacity will also be used for weather and climate model development to improve drought, flood, and wildfire prediction and forecasting.

"This monumental investment will establish a state-of-the-art high-performance computer system that advances weather, climate, ocean and ecosystem research right here in the great state of West Virginia," said Senator Manchin. "Rhea will be installed at the NOAA Environmental Security Computing Center (NESCC) in Fairmont, and will help bolster research efforts and improve drought, flood, and wildfire prediction and forecasting. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, West Virginia is leading in innovation, bolstering our STEM industries and economy."