If even a flutter of a big bunch of butterflies could trip the precision of Indian weatherman’s forecast now, here is some indigenous computing R&D to the rescue. C-DAC’s (Centre for Advanced Computing) new product CHReME (High Performance Computing Resource Management Engine) is readying for not just aiding climatology, but sharpening solutions in astro-physics, structural mechanics, materials modelling, fluid dynamics and the like.
NCMRWF (National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting) in Noida will be the first to make the full use of the engine portal developed at C-DAC’s Thiruvananthapuram unit. “Beta versions are installed already in Param Sheersh (4-terraflob supercomputing facility) in Shillong and Param Gen in Jorhat “, AK Bohra, Head, NCMRWF told FE.
Like their worldwide counterparts, Scientists at NCMRWF make medium- rage (three to 10 days) and longer ? range forecasts by using detailed global numerical weather prediction models running on high?performance computing (HPC) platforms. “It is possible for even butterfly movements to make perceptible tinkering in the results. But the CHReME advantage could sharpen accuracy, location-specificity, consistency and range of country’s medium range weather guidance and improve credibility of our agro-advisory services,” says Bohra.
But then, its not just the mischief of winged beauties that the CDAC engine portal is outwitting. CHReME is a web based portal that empowers users with intutive graphical user interface and eases managment of resources of HPC (High Precision Computing) systems, in a capacity-building gear-up this would bring effective resource-sharing in over 40 R&D institutions across the country. Parleys with other institutes are also on.
Asia Pacific is the biggest HPC market and the fastest growing one at that. “Besides quality in research, this HPC tool could address challenges in commercial businesses,” says Rajan Joseph, Director General, CDAC. Recently, the cost angle has changed. What should interest the corporates, according to Joseph, is that ownership of the cluster is no more prohibitive.
Fully customisable, CHReME is described as a tool that can undertake routine administrative functionalities like queue management, host management, compiler and libraries configeration etc. “This will help scientists to focus more on their domain research rather than getting into the nitty-gritties of executing their application codes and optimising various runs,” says Goldi Misra, Group Co-ordinator and Head, HPC Solutions Group, CDAC.
In supercomputing power, India is yet to catch up with the international benchmark. At the same time, a huge harnessing of resources are on in a consortium-style, with the Eleventh Plan support, say scientists. Rather than building capacity per se, the thrust is on translating all idle capacities to application side.