PM Modi launches 3 PARAM Rudra supercomputers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched three PARAM Rudra supercomputers, developed indigenously under the National Supercomputing Mission, and asserted that today’s India is carving new opportunities in the infinite sky of possibilities.

What is PARAM Rudra? 

• PARAM Rudra Supercomputers are a part of India’s indigenous development of high-performance computing under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). 

• These supercomputers are developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

• The three supercomputers, built at a cost of Rs 130 crore, have been deployed in Pune, Delhi, and Kolkata to facilitate pioneering scientific research.

• The Giant Metre Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune will leverage the supercomputer to explore Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and other astronomical phenomena.

• The Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC) in Delhi will enhance research in fields like material science and atomic physics, while the S.N. Bose Centre in Kolkata will drive advanced research in areas such as physics, cosmology, and earth sciences.

• The High-Performance Computing (HPC) system is tailored for weather and climate research, and the project represents an investment of Rs 850 crore, marking a significant leap in India’s computational capabilities for meteorological applications.

• Located at two key sites, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast (NCMRWF) in Noida, the HPC system has extraordinary computing power.

• The new HPC systems are named ‘Arka’ and ‘Arunika’, reflecting their connection to the Sun.

• These high-resolution models will significantly enhance the accuracy and lead time of predictions related to tropical cyclones, heavy precipitation, thunderstorms, hailstorms, heat waves, droughts, and other critical weather phenomena.

National Supercomputing Mission

• National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) has been set up to provide the country with supercomputing infrastructure to meet the increasing computational demands of academia, researchers, MSMEs, and startups. 

• It is a first of its kind attempt to boost the country’s computing power. 

• National Supercomputing Mission is steered jointly by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.

What is the significance of NSM?

• The mission envisages empowering our national academic and R&D institutions by installing a vast supercomputing grid comprising more than 70 high-performance computing facilities. 

• These supercomputers will also be networked on the national supercomputing grid over the National Knowledge Network (NKN). 

• The NKN is another programme of the government which connects academic institutions and R&D labs over a high speed network. 

• Academic and R&D institutions as well as key user departments/ministries would participate by using these facilities and develop applications of national relevance. 

• The mission implementation would bring supercomputing within the reach of the large scientific and technology community in the country and enable the country with a capacity of solving multi-disciplinary grand challenge problems.

Objectives of NSM:

• To make India one of the world leaders in supercomputing and to enhance India’s capability in solving grand challenge problems of national and global relevance.

• To empower our scientists and researchers with state-of-the-art supercomputing facilities and enable them to carry out cutting-edge research in their respective domains.

• To minimise redundancies and duplication of efforts, and optimise investments in supercomputing.

• To attain global competitiveness and ensure self-reliance in the strategic area of supercomputing technology.