Climate science, or climatology, is the study of Earth’s climate. Climate scientists want to better understand our planet’s atmosphere and how it affects various ecosystems. Many equate climate with the weather. And indeed, the word climate is usually defined as the average weather conditions in a particular area over a long-term period, such as years or decades. But climate science touches far more than weather trends.

Advanced computing testbeds, the proving grounds for new machines, are central to the development of next-generation computers. They allow researchers to explore a complex and non-linear design space and facilitate the evaluation of new computing technologies in terms of performance and efficiency on critical scientific workloads. These “laboratories of machines,” in which multiple components are available for experimentation, are critical to the next greatest advancements in computation.