ISRO unveils open source based supercomputer

BANGALORE, INDIA: State-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has built a supercomputer which is fastest in terms of peak performance of 220 teraflops (220 trillion floating point operations per second), the space agency said Monday.

"The new graphic processing unit (GPU)-based supercomputer named 'Saga-220' at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthpuram in Kerala will be used by our scientists to solve complex aerospace problems," ISRO said in a statement.

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The supercomputer was designed and built by VSSC using open source software, hardware and in-house developments at a cost of Rs.14 crore (Rs.140 million).

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"The GPU system offers advantage over the conventional CPU (central processing unit)-based system in terms of cost, power and space requirements. The eco-friendly system, which consumes about 150 kilowatt, can be scaled to many petaflops - 1,000 teraflops," the statement noted.

ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan unveiled the supercomputer facility named after Satish Dhawan, former head of the space agency.