What is the Param Rudra Supercomputer Newly Launched HPC System By PM Modi

Param Rudra is a new HPC system based in India. It was installed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 26, 2024. It is named after the ferocious incarnation of Lord Shiva. This is another key revolution in India’s technological advancement and is part of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) to enhance the country’s R&D prospects.

Key Features of Param Rudra

Processing Power: Param Rudra supercomputers are designed to perform intensive numerical calculations and simulations at extremely fast speeds. It offers 1 petaflop of processing power, which means large amounts of data can be processed efficiently.

Installation Locations: Three installations of Param Rudra have been completed in Pune, Delhi and Kolkata. Each installation is set up in such a way that the site is configured to perform various research functions:

  • Pune: The Giant Meter Radio Telescope (GMRT) will use Param Rudra to study fast radio bursts (FRBs) and other astronomical phenomena.
  • Delhi: An inter-university accelerator center will focus on strengthening research in materials science and atomic physics.
  • KOLKATA: The SN Bose Center will focus on advanced research in physics, cosmology and earth sciences.

Impact on R&D

The launch of Param Rudra is expected to revolutionize various sectors:

  • Astronomy: Better calculations for GMRT will enhance scientists’ ability to focus on cosmic phenomena in more detail, for example, allowing us to better understand the universe.
  • Materials science and physics: As scientists say, with this supercomputer, truly groundbreaking work will be done in these two key areas that together can lead to scientific breakthroughs.
  • Weather and Climate Research: Param Rudra also comes with two other HPC systems, namely Arka and Arunika, which are specially designed for weather forecasting. Arka and Arunika aim to improve the predictability of severe weather events to benefit agriculture and disaster management to a large extent.

What it means to India:

The launch of Param Rudra is a turning point in India’s journey to become an independent nation in advanced computing technology. It supports the concept of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and is in line with the government’s vision of emphasizing indigenous technology development, which will help achieve national goals. As computing power increases, India will face a position in world scientific research and innovation that no country has hitherto achieved. Comparison with global supercomputers

feature

Paramrudra

The world’s top supercomputers (such as Fugaku, Summit)

processing speed

1 petaflop

Fugaku: 442 petaflops; Peak: 200 petaflops

architecture

Independent research and development

Fugaku: Fujitsu A64FX; Summit: IBM Power9

Main use cases

Climate modeling, astrophysics

Fugaku: COVID-19 Research, Artificial Intelligence; Summit: Artificial Intelligence, Genomics

memory

35TB

Fugaku: 7.6 million cores; Summit: 2.4 million cores

cost

Approximately 1.3 billion rupees (approximately 16 million US dollars)

Fugaku: approximately US$1 billion; Summit: approximately US$200 million

Year of deployment

2024

Fugaku: 2020; Summit: 2018

Main differences

  • Processing Power: While a Param Rudra of 1 petaflop is insignificant for India, it is far behind the Fugaku and Summit type leadership systems which have thousands of petaflops. This difference shows how advanced the computing capabilities of the world’s leading systems are.
  • Architecture and Design: Param Rudra uses a combination of Intel CPU and NVIDIA GPU. Therefore, it has more domestically developed technology. In contrast, global leader Fugaku uses leading-edge architecture specifically targeted for high efficiency and performance across a wide range of applications.
  • Cost Effectiveness: Param Rudra is relatively cheap compared to international versions. With this cost-effectiveness, India can build multiple systems to achieve its goal of self-sufficiency in supercomputing technology.
  • Research Focus: Param Rudra is ideally suited to conduct specific types of research in India, such as giant radio telescopes and inter-university accelerator centres. In contrast, leading supercomputers support a wider range of applications, extensive artificial intelligence research, and large-scale simulations across various scientific disciplines.

Param Rudra is India’s first upgrade in the recent wave of supercomputing, which will boost local research capabilities. It is a measure of the potential growth of Indian technology and, more importantly, a harbinger of comparisons between the world’s top HPC players and the world’s top supercomputers.