CHEYENNE - A planned $60 million weather data center here may help lead to far more accurate forecasts of hurricanes and a greater understanding of solar storms that affect sensitive telecommunications systems and power grids, officials say.

For Wyoming, it signals a major step forward in its effort to boost its research profile and recruit high-tech businesses, state officials said.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research on Tuesday announced Cheyenne as the location for the supercomputer. It will be a partnership among NCAR and UCAR, the University of Wyoming and the state of Wyoming.

UW President Tom Buchanan said the center will transform the university.

"This will provide educational and research opportunities for the University of Wyoming for our work in the area of energy and natural resources," Buchanan said. "It is an opportunity for us to step quickly into the international arena."

House Minority Whip Rep. Debbie Hammons, D-Worland, agreed, saying that wherever such computers are built, "they become magnets for the best minds."

"It's going to be a world-class facility," Hammons said. "It is the difference between being a major player in the information age, and being a state that just watches."

Hammons said that 20 percent of the computing power will be available for use by the University of Wyoming to address issues arising out of its new School of Energy Resources and other branches.

In a written statement, Gov. Dave Freudenthal said he's pleased with the NCAR announcement, but that "there's still much work to be done, in terms of finalizing the contract and getting the money appropriated."

UCAR President Rick Anthes said the $60 million construction of the center will be funded by a number of groups.

"Assuming the Wyoming Legislature approves a contribution, it will be a mix of University of Wyoming funds, state of Wyoming funds, NCAR funds, and National Science Foundation funds - provided they approve the whole deal," Anthes said. "All parties would be contributing significant amounts."

Rob Black, spokesman for the governor, said the exact contributions were still being negotiated. In July, the UW trustees voted to approve up to $10 million for the center.

NCAR director Tim Killeen said the data center project "is a major step that will advance research in the geosciences and enable us to greatly improve our understanding of the world around us."