New Weather Forecasting Supercomputer Cost of Rs. 9000 Cr Will Be Unveiled By Year-End, Says Kiren Rijiju

NEW DELHI: According to Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju, India would unveil its new 18 petaflop supercomputer for weather forecasting agencies later this year. Rijiju made the statement, after visiting the ministry's National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) in the nearby city of Noida.

On the other hand, Mihir, a 2.8 petaflop supercomputer, is located at the NCMRWF, while Pratyush, a 4.0 petaflop supercomputer, is located at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.

Taking on twitter, Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “Delighted to have visited the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) today, a true Centre of Excellence in Weather and Climate Modelling. Their mission to develop advanced Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) systems for our nation is commendable. Proud that NCMRWF also serves as the BIMSTEC Center for Weather and Climate, fostering regional cooperation.”

He further added, “Ministry of Earth Sciences through NCMRWF is upgrading it's supercomputer from 6.8 Petaflop to 18 Petaflop at a total cost of Rs 9000 crore. This system is expected to be operational by the end of this financial year.”

The new high-power computing centre is designed to improve weather forecasts at the block level, assist weather scientists in providing higher resolution forecast ranges, predict cyclones with greater accuracy and lead time, and forecast ocean status, including marine water quality.

Rijiju also said, “NCMRWF envisions a future of enhanced weather and climate forecasting services! With a keen focus on ocean-atmosphere modeling and forecasting, we are determined to bring significant improvements in medium-range predictions and extend our capabilities to seasonal forecasting.”

Meanwhile, the 'Mihir' and 'Pratyush' supercomputers were launched in 2018 and will be decommissioned after the next supercomputer is unveiled, according to a senior NCMRWF official.

On May 19, Kiren Rijiju took over as Earth Sciences Minister who was removed as Law Minister.

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