India Is Among The Top Supercomputer Leagues Thanks To AIRAWAT

According to the 61st edition of the Top 500 Global Supercomputing List, which was released at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC 2023) in Germany, the AI supercomputer AIRAWAT, installed at C-DAC, has been placed 75th in the world. India tops the list of countries with the most AI supercomputers thanks to AIRAWAT, which the government installed as part of the National Programme on AI.

The most promising technology in the digital age is artificial intelligence. Due to its large data availability, robust digital economy, and talented workforce, India has a strong ecosystem and competitive edge for AI. According to Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary Shri Alkesh Sharma, India has been working on applied AI with a focus on natural language processing, image processing, pattern recognition, agriculture, medical imaging, education, healthcare, audio assistance, robotics, and developing solutions for strategic sectors.

In order to empower individuals and organisations to address the most important issues in society and the economy and improve the globe, India would embrace AI technology, he continued.

“C-DAC, Pune, is now implementing the Proof of Concept (PoC) AI Research Analytics and Knowledge Dissemination Platform (AIRAWAT), which has a 200 AI Petaflops mixed precision peak compute capacity. A combined peak compute of 410 AI petaflops of mixed precision and sustained compute capability of 8.5 petaflops (Rmax) of double precision are produced by integrating the 200 AI petaflop AIRAWAT PoC with the 210 AI petaflop PARAM Siddhi-AI systems. The maximum compute speed (double precision, peak) is 13 petaflops, according to Shri Abhishek Singh, president and chief executive officer of NeGD and MeitY Additional Secretary. He continued by saying that AIRAWAT is consistent with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision for the country, which calls for enabling technology and artificial intelligence for the benefit of ordinary people and contributing to the socioeconomic development of the country. It should be mentioned that MeitY has already developed a roadmap for expanding AIRAWAT’s mixed precision compute capability to 1,000 AI petaflops in order to meet the demands of the modern AI industry.

Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar, additional secretary, stated: “C-DAC has been a leader in HPC and AI since its foundation, and our entry in the top 500 list is another feather in C-DAC’s cap. The Ministry has consistently encouraged the use of such larger supercomputing systems to speed up scientific and technological advancements. The C-DAC should make it simple and inexpensive for the Indian population to use such cutting-edge infrastructure.

In line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative of the Indian government, ‘AIRAWAT’ will enable academia, research labs, the scientific community, industry, and start-ups to create domestic AI-enabled products and solutions, particularly for addressing complex real-world issues unique to India. The National Programme on AI (NPAI) vision can be realised with the help of this AI infrastructure, according to Kavita Bhatia, Scientist, G and GC (Emerging Technologies), MeitY.

Supercomputing is a key strength of C-DAC, according to Sunita Verma, Scientist, G and GC (R&D in Electronics, IT, AI, and ET, Digital Bhashini), MeitY. C-DAC has been conducting research and development in AI and supercomputing for the past three and a half decades. The MeitY has given C-DAC the responsibility of deploying the supercomputers for the Indian scientific and research community under NSM. We are consistently working to meet the highest standards around the world. The government’s Digital India BHASHINI programme will also benefit from the C-DAC Pune system’s installation.

“Although it is currently the fastest supercomputer in the nation, it is designed and built on a scalable infrastructure to serve as a common computational cloud platform connecting all Centres of Research Excellence in AI, Indian Centres for Transformational AI, academics, research labs, the scientific community, industry, and start-ups.” According to Shri E. Magesh, Director General of C-DAC, “We have started the process of onboarding start-ups and MSMEs operating in AI areas in the nation. He praised the personnel at C-DAC, Pune, led by Col. Asheet Kumar Nath, Executive Director, for their outstanding work installing this system and advancing it to the Top 500 List, which had made India proud.