Tata supercomputer tops APAC

MUMBAI, INDIA: A supercomputer system built by Pune-based Computational Research Laboratories (CRL), a subsidiary of Tata Sons, in collaboration with global IT major HP has been ranked as the fourth most powerful supercomputer in the world.

The HP Cluster Platform 3000 BL460c system has also been ranked as the most powerful system in Asia-Pacific and Japan.

"This is the first time ever a cluster platform made in the country has achieved this status. This will also herald in affordability research, which would be made possible by tapping the existing research talent pool across verticals and domains," CRL chairman S Ramadorai said.

This system achieved 117.9 `teraflops' or trillions of calculations per second (TFlop/s), based on which it was awarded the ranking, he said.

CRL intends to use the system for scientific and industrial discovery, and this system would also enable engineers to model particle dynamics at ultra high resolution. This will help in "achieving significant breakthroughs" in nano-photonics and medicinal sectors".

The companies have been working on the platform for the past one year, with the system being ranked at fourth in TOP500 Supercomputer list, a catalogue of the world's 500 most powerful installed technical and commercial computer systems, he added.

IBM topped the list with its BlueGene/L System, while it also garnered the second place with a newer version of the same system. Sites in the US, Germany, India and Sweden topped the list.