Supercomputers: Giants of the Computing World
Supercomputers are advanced machines designed to solve incredibly complex, large-scale, and calculation-intensive problems that would take ordinary computers years to complete. They are essential for tasks such as weather forecasting, simulating nuclear reactions, and modeling the early universe.
Parallel Computing
- Core Concept: Instead of relying on a single processor, supercomputers use thousands or millions of processors working simultaneously, known as parallel computing.
- Process: Each processor (or core) addresses a small part of a problem. When combined, these solutions yield a complete answer faster than a single processor could.
India's Supercomputing Initiative
- Historical Context: India's supercomputing journey began in the late 1980s with the PARAM series.
- National Supercomputing Mission (NSM): Launched in 2015 to develop indigenous systems and expand high-performance computing across India.
- Current Leaders: AIRAWAT-PSAI at C-DAC in Pune is India's fastest, with other systems installed across academic and research institutions.
- Applications: Weather and climate modeling, molecular dynamics, nanotechnology, AI models, and more.