CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — One of the world's most powerful computers used for earth-science research, including studies involving climate change, is scheduled to be replaced by an even faster machine.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research has been running the Yellowstone supercomputer near Cheyenne since 2012. Scientists use Yellowstone for a wide range of research including modeling of air pollution, ocean currents and weather.

On Monday, NCAR officials announced plans to replace Yellowstone with a supercomputer named Cheyenne next year.

Yellowstone ranks among the world's 60 top fastest supercomputers. The new Cheyenne supercomputer will be two-and-a-half times more powerful, capable of 5.3 quadrillion calculations per second.

That's about 100,000 times faster than a typical home computer. NCAR officials say such speeds make it possible to model regional effects of climate change.

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