Professor Zhao Gang, deputy director general of National Astronomical Observatories， Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC); Qin Hua, general manager of Huawei Chile; and Dr. Darcy Fuenzalida, president of the Santa Maria University (UTFSM), jointly signed an agreement on May 25 to create the China-Chile Joint Astronomical Data Center. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet were witnesses.   

The China-Chile Joint Astronomical Data Center is one of the most important projects that the Chinese Academy of Sciences South America Center for Astronomy (CASSACA) has launched since its establishment in October 2013 in Santiago. The data center is a joint endeavor of CASSACA, Huawei and UTFSM. CASSACA, supported by NAOC under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has strong science and technology resources. Huawei is a world leader in hardware production, and UTFSM is one of the top universities in computing science in Chile. The establishment of the data center is a landmark in China-Chile science and technology cooperation. The data center has broadband transmission, mass storage and high performance computing, allowing Chinese and Chile researchers to share and use the enormous astronomical data of ALMA, a world-class telescope in northern Chile, benefitting astronomical research for both Chinese and Chilean astronomical communities.  

Chile is the most ideal place in the world for the construction of astronomical observation facilities, due to its excellent geographical conditions, support from government and open policies.

Signing ceremony of China-Chile Joint Astronomical Data Center. [Photo by National Astronomical Observatories, CAS]

(From left to right) NAOC Deputy Director General Zhao Gang, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Huawei Chile General Manager Qin Hua and UTFSM President Dr. Darcy Fuenzalida, in Santiago, Chile, attending the signing ceremony of the China-Chile Joint Astronomical Data Center. [Photo by National Astronomical Observatories, CAS]