NOAA's Fairmont facility remains national hub for climate data and high performance computing

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is making a substantial investment in its Environmental Security Computing Center at the I-79 High Tech Park in Fairmont, West Virginia, establishing it as a national hub for climate data and high-performance computing. Jim Estep, President and CEO of the West Virginia High Technology Foundation, highlighted the Fairmont facility's unique role as the only NOAA location in the country housing both climate and weather data collection alongside high-performance computing operations, as well as serving as the headquarters for the agency's cybersecurity. In September 2024, NOAA announced plans for a $100 million supercomputer, Rhea, to be installed at the facility by June 2025. This new system, along with the existing Hera, is expected to significantly advance NOAA's exploration of artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve weather, ocean, and climate forecasts, and ecosystem modeling. Estep emphasized the potential for agentic AI to revolutionize weather adaptation and bolster the commercial climate and weather data industry by making NOAA's vast datasets more accessible for business and personal uses. He noted that the increasing demand for climate information, coupled with the facility's growing infrastructure, positions West Virginia to cultivate an innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Despite past budget discussions under the Trump administration that could have impacted NOAA's personnel, Congress approved the agency's full fiscal year 2026 budget, underscoring the federal government's continued commitment to these nationally critical operations in Fairmont.