Faster, stronger – on supercomputers in India

Source: This post is created based on the article “Faster, stronger”, published in The Hindu on 30^th May 2023.

Syllabus Topic: GS paper 3 – indigenization of technology and developing new technology

Context:  India is set to receive a new high-performance computing (HPC) system, often referred to as a ‘supercomputer’, from the French corporation, Atos. This system is expected to be the fastest in India.

The HPC will be part of deal with France, signed in December 2018 to procure high-performance computers worth ₹4,500 crore by 2025.

The HPC systems will be hosted by two institutions: the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, Noida. These institutions currently house two of India’s most powerful machines, Mihir and Pratyush.

How HPCs are being used and what are their potential uses?

While the possession of powerful supercomputers provides Indian scientists the tools to tackle complex problems, it’s unclear whether these machines have led to significant breakthroughs in fundamental science or engineered commercial products.

The use of such machines has improved short-term weather forecasts and cyclone predictions in India. But there should be greater evaluation of their value in other fields, beyond their speed and power.