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![\"Jamal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/jamal-ayach.jpg\")
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A supercomputer the size of a hockey rink<\/p>\n
When Jamal\u00a0Ayach\u2019s son asked him what kind of computer he works with, Jamal responded, \u201cHow many operations can you do on your calculator in 1 minute?\u201d His son proudly replied, \u201c20\u00a0to 25.\u201d Jamal smiled and said, \u201cWell, my computer is the size of a hockey rink and can perform 10\u00a0quadrillion calculations per second at peak performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the scale of\u00a0high performance computing<\/a> (HPC) at Shared Services Canada (SSC).<\/p>\n
The high performance computing solution\u2014maintained by Jamal Ayach and his team.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Specialized infrastructure with national impact<\/p>\n Jamal leads a team at SSC that maintains advanced computer systems\u2014technology that most Canadians don\u2019t see, but that powers services they rely on every day.<\/p>\n One of their biggest priorities is supporting Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) with the systems that predict weather and enable meteorological and climate research. These systems run high-resolution weather and climate models that simulate the evolution of weather and environmental conditions from minutes to decades ahead.\u00a0These models are the basis of ECCC\u2019s critical 24\/7 weather and environmental prediction services, which provide alerts and warnings that allow Canadians and emergency management organizations to prepare for extreme weather events such as severe storms, floods, wildfires and more.<\/p>\n Managing data at a massive scale<\/p>\n Jamal\u2019s team has spent nearly a decade maintaining a huge archive of data that\u2019s now close to 1\u00a0exabyte\u2014about 1\u00a0billion gigabytes, or enough video to stream for 3\u00a0million years! Keeping this data available 99.9%\u00a0of the time is no small feat. Forecasters and scientists rely on constant access to this information to provide life-saving weather information and ensure their research is accurate and timely. Any interruption could delay critical work, like severe weather predictions or climate studies.<\/p>\n Turning data into action<\/p>\n Thanks to SSC\u2019s leadership and Jamal\u2019s contributions, Canadians have access to accurate weather forecasts, alerts and updates through\u00a0ECCC\u2019s weather information site<\/a>. These services are powered by the high-performance systems Jamal\u2019s team maintains behind the scenes.<\/p>\n \u201cReducing the time to science is key, especially as artificial intelligence (AI) and new technologies change the way we work,\u201d Jamal says. His team builds not only powerful but autonomous systems, equipping GC organizations with the tools to make fast, confident decisions, while SSC ensures the infrastructure remains secure, reliable and future-proof.<\/p>\n Supporting Canada on the global stage<\/p>\n At the recent G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Jamal\u2019s team helped ensure that ECCC had secure, uninterrupted access to data and computing resources. Their work kept HPC clusters running smoothly, allowing Canada to\u00a0make important decisions that kept event participants safe.<\/p>\n The same cutting-edge technology that powers weather forecasts also helps shape global climate strategies. Because of SSC\u2019s behind-the-scenes efforts, Canada was able to step onto the world stage with the assurance and infrastructure needed to lead important discussions, sharing valuable scientific insights with the world.<\/p>\n Keeping Canadians safe<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Supercomputer\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/supercomputer.jpg\")
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