FAIRMONT —
We don’t just consider the announcement of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest project as one more piece of the I-79 Technology Park puzzle.
When the West Virginia High Tech Consortium announced this week that NOAA would be building a supercomputer in Fairmont at the high-tech park, a lot of words came to mind, but one in particular.
Beacon.
Officials say this is the most significant technology project the WVHTC has been involved in. In July, NOAA announced that the I-79 Technology Park Research Center would be home to a new project to collect weather data. The supercomputer is the second piece to the project, but its significance is by no means secondary.
The more than 65,000 square feet of space in the Research Center, which will be called the NOAA Environmental Security Computing Center (NESCC), will be dedicated to work related to climate services, daily weather forecast production, and environmental modeling. A computer this advanced requires an incredible, uninterruptable power supply with back-up generators and an enormous amount of cooling, and the space will be retro-fitted to accommodate NOAA’s needs.
“Designing that bigger-picture system that the computer will operate within is going to be a significant task,” WVHTC President and CEO Jim Estep said. “Then parallel to our efforts, NOAA will select the final supercomputer design, and we hope to begin implementation of the actual machine in that space sometime in the spring.”
This supercomputer could potentially become the most powerful one in existence, which could lead to many opportunities for the area.
“If this turns out to be the most advanced computer in the world ever, it could create an enormous amount of international notoriety for Fairmont, W.Va.,” Estep said.
And that’s why the word “beacon” comes to mind.
With every contract secured, with every business located or relocated here, it continues to build the credibility of the I-79 High Tech Corridor. This area is certainly attractive for development — a low cost-of living index, a support system already in place and leadership with the vision to see the long-term benefits that come from these kind of developments. But with names like NASA and NOAA connected to buildings visible from the interstate, this area becomes even more primed for further development.
While this project, when complete, will add about 100 direct jobs to our county, think about the indirect impact of a project of this magnitude, from support services and companies to the retail and dining industry.
But what is even more encouraging is that the Research Center will be 95 percent occupied when this latest NOAA project is complete, and all tennants are on 10- or 20-year contracts. That not only provides a longterm security for the WVHTC, but also the opportunity to move forward with more development projects in the near future.
The WVHTC, the technology park and its leadership in Estep should again be congratulated for the efforts to being this region to the forefront of high technology, diversify the economy and seal deals that will ensure future prosperity in uncertain times.
Opinion
Supercomputer ‘beacon’ builds credibility of I-79 High Tech Corridor
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