C-Dac, Cray Vie For Computer Deal

Pune-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and US multinational Cray Research are competing to supply a new computer to the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast.

While Cray Research, a subsidiary of Silicon Graphics, has offered its latest high-speed computers like the T-90, C-DAC has proposed a total solution for forecasting weather visualization and climate modelling, besides predictions.

The science and technology ministry is said to be reviewing both the offers. A final decision will be taken by March this year, official sources said.

The XMP-216, installed at the centre nearly a decade ago, requires heavy maintenance compared with the latest models that need relatively less. This apart, they deliver several times more computing power and occupy less space.

C-DAC system is a hybrid version of its Param 9000 parallel computer, which runs the T-80 weather prediction code. The performance of this system is said to be twice as good as the current XMP-216, which is due for replacement. The integrated C-DAC system claims to provide a better performance than many of the latest generation supercomputers.

Cray Research, on the other hand, proposes to replace the XMP-216 with a new high speed system to run the monsoon prediction code.

The XMP is being maintained by Cray under the then Indo-US deal, for which the national centre for weather forecast shells out Rs 2.5 crore a year.

With the computing costs declining, Cray said the replacement cost would be slightly less than a couple of years maintenance for the old system.

The national centre for weather forecast plans to improve its weather prediction system to get advanced information and localised data on the amount of rain in a particular region. For this, more computing power will be needed, besides additional software inputs.