Super Computers

SUPERCOMPUTERS

These are large systems that are specifically designed to solve complex scientific & industrial challenges.

The US government started steadily funding the development of high-performance computer technology in the late 1950s, mostly for military applications. This marked the start of the supercomputing era.

The performance of a supercomputer is measured in

Floating-Point Operations per Second (FLOPS).

Supercomputers can be utilised for basic general tasks as well as for specific purposes such as Deep Blue, Hydra and Belle for playing chess.

Supercomputers possess multiple distinctive features that set them apart from conventional computers. These are described below:

Multiple CPUs: Supercomputers incorporate more than one CPU.

Speed: These computers can support the high computation speed of CPUs.

Storage: It has a very high storage capacity. Rapid retrieval of stored data and instructions is crucial to support high computational speed.

Multi-Users: A supercomputer allows multiple users to access supercomputing simultaneously.

Presently, the IBM Summit holds the position of the world’s fastest supercomputer according to the TOP-500 supercomputer list.

• Sierra, an American supercomputer with a peak speed of 125 petaFLOPS, is closely behind.

• With five supercomputers, the United States leads the world’s top ten, followed by China with two.

India and Supercomputers

The AIRAWAT supercomputer is the fastest supercomputer in India, having been ranked 75th fastest in the world in the Top 500 supercomputer list. AIRAWAT has been installed at the Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in Pune.

Pratyush and Mihir are the fastest supercomputers in India; 4 supercomputers from India are among the top 500 in the world.

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing created the first indigenous supercomputer, known as PARAM 8000, in 1991.

Features of Supercomputers

• High Processing Speed: The most defining feature of a supercomputer is its extremely high processing speed and computational power. This is achieved by combining multiple processors and configuring them to work in parallel.

• Interconnected Nodes: A supercomputer consists of multiple networked compute nodes that work together as a unified system.

• Massive Parallel Processing: Supercomputers rely on parallel processing on a massive scale to achieve their blazing speed. Instead of handling computations serially (one after another), supercomputers can divide problems into smaller parts and process many parts simultaneously.

• Specialized Software: To fully exploit their parallel architecture, supercomputers run specialized software and operating systems. Programs are written to distribute workloads across multiple processors.

• Reliability and Availability: Downtime can be disastrous for supercomputing centers relying on these mission- critical systems. So supercomputers are engineered for maximum reliability and availability.

Application of Supercomputers

• Healthcare: Supercomputers are mostly utilized for the diagnosis of different diseases and to aid in the successful treatment of strokes, brain injuries, and other disorders involving blood flow in the body.

• Military & Defence Missions: Virtual testing for nuclear explosions and weapon ballistics is made possible by supercomputing.

• Climate Patterns: Climate patterns can be studied and comprehended using supercomputer applications.

• Airlines Industry: Using a supercomputer, flight

simulators for beginning pilots were created.

• Weather Forecasting: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, uses supercomputers to aggregate data for weather forecasting. The NOAA system is capable of carrying out any kind of logical and basic command.

Disadvantages of Supercomputer

• Physical Size: Supercomputers are physically humongous. Hence, they need a significant space.

• Maintenance: To do this, specialized software and knowledge of the computer’s general usage are required in order to identify malfunctions.

• Storage: A supercomputer needs adequate storage space to hold all the data it produces in order to operate at its maximum capability.

• Heat Release: A supercomputer has several processors, each of which has the capacity to produce a sizable quantity of heat when in use.

NATIONAL SUPERCOMPUTING MISSION (NSM)

• It was launched in 2015

• NSM is jointly steered by the MeitY and Department of S&T (DST)

• Implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune & the IISc, Bengaluru.

• Objective: to connect national academic and R&D institutions with a grid of over 70 high-performance computing facilities.

• These will be networked on the ‘National Supercomputing Grid’ over the National Knowledge Network (NKN).

• It seeks to improve high-performance computing capacity and capability in each of the domains of academic and research institutions in India.

• Rudra-Server Platform the first indigenous server created by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) as part of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).

Achievements:

• PARAM Shivay, the first supercomputer of India that was installed in 2020 under NSM at IIT, BHU.

• Other installed supercomputers includes PARAM Pravega (IISc, Bangalore), PARAM Utkarsh (C-DAC, Bangalore), PARAM Ananta (IIT, Gandhinagar), PARAM Himalaya (IIT, Mandi), PARAM Siddhi-AI (C-DAC, Pune), and PARAM Vidya series.