October 21, 1999
Japan Marine Science and Technology Center

Earth Simulator Facility Construction Work has Started.

1. Concerning the earth simulator project that Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (director general Takuya HIRANO) has been promoting in cooperation with the National Space Development Agency and Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, the Center has decided to construct an earth simulator facility (to run and study the earth simulator) at the place from which the former Kanagawa Prefecture Industries Experiment Station has moved (address: 3,173. Showa-machi, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama-shi). Since March this year, therefore, a design of this facility has been being proceeded with. More recently, it has been decided to start constructing the facility.
A facility construction commencement ceremony will be held at that former industries experiment station location from 10:00 on October 29 (Friday), 1999.

2. The earth simulator is an ultrahigh-speed computer system to predict the global change phenomena, such as global warming, etc. with high precisicion. At the end of the fiscal 2001 when it is scheduled to start
operating, the system will turn out to be the highest-speed computer available all over the world. This facility is to be built up as the base of research in the field of earth change prediction and computational science technology.

* Outline of Earth Simulator Project
* Outline of Earth Simulator Facility Construction Plan
* Arrangement Plan Diagram
* Supposed View of Earth Simulator Facility Completed
* Sectional Projection of Simulator Building
* Supposed View of Ultrahigh-speed Parallel Computer System "Earth Simulator" Completed

For further information in this respect, make contact with:
Persons in charge: HAYASHI and HIRANO, Frontier Research System Sect.,
Phone +813-5404-7861 Fax +813-5776-1536
TAYA, IKEGAWA and KIMURA, Popularization/PR Sect.,
Japan Marine Science and Technology Center,
Phone +81-468-67-3806 Fax +81-468-65-8810