"A judge has temporarily stopped the National Science Foundation from removing the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder from its leadership of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center in Cheyenne.
A judge on Monday granted a request for a preliminary injunction to stop the NSF from moving forward with its decision to transfer stewardship of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center from NCAR and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research to another operator. The judge ruled that the NSF must stop any removal of NCAR or UCAR, which manages NCAR on behalf of the NSF, from its rights, resources or responsibilities related to the supercomputer.
“We are pleased that Judge Jackson recognized how damaging the proposed transfer of the NWSC to another operator would be for the nation’s scientific community,” UCAR Interim President Eric Barron said in a statement. “UCAR’s top priority is to advance Earth system science in service to society. Our work supports national security, public safety, and economic prosperity, and any steps made toward divesting NCAR of its high-performance computing facilities would risk disrupting the country’s extraordinary advances in weather and space weather modeling and forecasting, as well as related programs spanning agriculture, water resources, wildfire risk, military support, power grid interruption, and aviation safety. Today’s decision ensures that the NWSC will be able to continue its vital work on behalf of the United States and its stakeholders without interruption.”
In the motion and during the hearing, UCAR argued that it would suffer irreparable harm if the NSF were allowed to proceed with its decision to transfer stewardship of the supercomputing center, including the departures of employees with specialized expertise, disruption of research projects, financial consequences and undermining UCAR’s mission."
Olivia Doak reports for the Boulder Daily Camera June 1, 2026.
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