China says it needs IBM supercomputer for Olympics weather forecasts
China has used its hosting of next summer's Olympic Games to purchase an IBM supercomputer with military applications ostensibly to aid in weather forecasting.
The IBM computer is a System p575 and is capable of ultra high-speed computing.
China’s government does not distinguish between military and civilian production, and the computer likely could aid nuclear weapons testing and missile and other armaments development, said U.S. officials opposed to the sale.
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IBM defended the sale saying the computer was built and intended for weather forecasting purposes, and that all export rules were followed.
"The IBM supercomputer will allow for much more fine numerical weather forecasting for the Beijing area during the Olympics and afterwards," said Liu Xulin, director of the Beijing Meteorological Information Center.
Said one U.S. China hand: “If anyone truly believes that China needs this supercomputer for Olympic weather forecasts, I have a time-share at a Starbucks in the Forbidden City that I'm trying to sell.”
