Super computer

Tender description

The Met Office has been at the cutting edge of supercomputing for several decades. A significant UK Government investment in October 2014 started the next chapter in High Performance Computing at the Met Office culminating in the successful installation of Cray XC40 supercomputers. The project was completed in December 2016; it was a hugely complex Government IT project, which was delivered early and on budget. The Met Office’s supercomputer consists of 3 main systems in Exeter, UK — 2 in the main HQ, and one in a nearby, purpose-built, data centre. The HQ machines provide a highly resilient capability for running time-critical operational weather forecasts, whereas the third system provides research, development and collaboration capabilities. The Met Office’s supercomputer capability is one of the most powerful in the world dedicated to weather and climate. Further details can be found at www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/technology/supercomputer The Met Office is now planning the next phase of supercomputer investments which has been titled “Met Office’s HPC Post 2020.” The next step consists of engaging with the supercomputer market through this Prior Information Notice (PIN). Upon reading this PIN it is expected that suppliers will wish to establish an initial dialogue with the Met Office starting at the Supercomputing Conference, Dallas, USA in November 2018. The Prior Information Notice is the start of a period of around 14 months of early supplier market engagement to enable the Met Office to get a full understanding of all aspect of what the supercomputer market can deliver against the Met Office’s own business objectives. Please note that due to the criticality of the supercomputer system to the Met Office’s operations, a major part of the requirement is to have a highly available and stable system. Furthermore, the HPC programme consists of a wider ecosystem at the Met Office which is not captured under this PIN but will be a significant factor in planning for the next phase. Currently the Met Office is looking at all options available to it for the next supercomputer. These include: — a supercomputer provision hosted entirely within the existing Met Office data centres, — a supercomputer provision hosted entirely externally to the Met Office, — a supercomputer provision with a hybrid hosting arrangement: a proportion being within existing Met Office data centres and the remainder being dedicated compute in an external data centre. If you are a supplier who can meet one or all of these options, then please register through the Met Office’s Pro Contract portal (https://procontract.due-north.com/Register) through which all future communication will be made, including arrangements for a more detailed meeting at SC18 to discuss roadmap and options. If you wish to meet the Met Office’s delegation at SC18 please can you respond with a request by 12.10.2018 in order to allow time to make adequate arrangements in Dallas. The Met Office is interested in speaking to companies involved in all aspects of the supercomputer supply chain.