NEW DELHI, Sept 26: Three PARAM Rudra supercomputers, developed indigenously under the National Supercomputing Mission, were launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday while asserting that the present India was carving new opportunities in the infinite sky of possibilities.
PM Modi said a country could aim for high achievements only if it has a big vision and asserted that technology upgrades should be to empower the poor. He said his government has taken steps to ensure research in technology benefits the common man.
“We started the national supercomputing mission in 2015 and now quantum computing technology has taken a lead which will help improve IT, manufacturing, MSMEs and startups,” he said and added that his government was giving priority to science, technology, and research.
“Mission Gaganyan preparations have begun, and by 2035 we will have our own space station,” he said, adding that the first phase of the project has been approved. “Science for self-reliance is our mission,” PM Modi said.
“The three supercomputers, built at a cost of ₹130 crore, have been deployed in Pune, Delhi, and Kolkata to facilitate pioneering scientific research,” PM Modi said. Mr Modi also inaugurated the ₹850 crore High-Performance Computing system tailored for weather and climate research and described the day as one of a “very big achievement” in the science and technology sector.
“There is no sector that does not rely on technology and computing capability,” PM Modi said. “In this revolution, our share should not be in bits and bytes but in terabytes and petabytes. Therefore, this achievement proves that we are moving in the right direction at the right pace,” he said.
“The significance of science is not only in invention and development but also in fulfilling aspirations of the last person,” PM Modi said. “India is building its own semiconductor ecosystem, which will be a key part of the global supply chain,” Mr Modi said.
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 ₹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.
(Manas Dasgupta)