The University of Iceland has relocated part of its high-performance computing infrastructure to the premises of the Icelandic Meteorological Office. This equipment forms part of the Icelandic Research e-Infrastructure (IREI), a national initiative funded through the infrastructure hubs by the Infrastructure Fund of Rannís. IREI supports research across Icelandic universities and research institutions, particularly in the fields of climate science, natural hazards, data science, and health sciences.
The joint operation of this computing facility reflects the strong and growing collaboration between the University of Iceland and the Icelandic Meteorological Office. This partnership is grounded in a shared vision to strengthen national research infrastructure and enhance services to society, with a strong focus on climate issues, natural hazards, and international scientific cooperation.
At the formal opening of the facility, speeches were delivered by Jón Atli Benediktsson, former Rector of the University of Iceland, and Hildigunnur H. H. Thorsteinsson, Director-General of the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Both emphasised that the collaboration between the two institutions is key to ensuring robust and reliable infrastructure for data processing and computational research that benefits society.
Jón Atli expressed his gratitude to the Meteorological Office for hosting the facility and the longstanding cooperation between the institutions. He highlighted the many areas of collaboration, including within IREI, and noted the growing demand in Iceland for advanced computing power and large-scale data storage to support cutting-edge research.
Hildigunnur underscored the importance of this infrastructure in enabling the Meteorological Office to fulfil its statutory role in forecasting and issuing warnings related to natural hazards such as floods and volcanic eruptions. She also noted its value in advancing research on climate change and its impacts in Iceland.
"By strengthening this infrastructure, we are better positioned to advance research and development in weather forecasting and hazard warnings related to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and floods, as well as in many other areas that affect the safety, preparedness, and resilience of Icelandic society," said Hildigunnur H. H. Thorsteinsson.
IREI is built on four core service pillars:
- Expert advice and support for research groups
- Secure and high-capacity data storage
- Access to high-performance computing and supercomputers
- Solutions that facilitate data sharing and collaboration, both nationally and internationally