The new Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)-based supercomputer named SAGA-220 or Supercomputer for Aerospace with GPU Architecture-220 teraflops will be used by space scientists for solving complex aerospace problems. ISRO spokesperson S Satish said the supercomputer would ensure calculations took place in less time.

“It would really be of great use when we will start testing our advanced vehicles like Mark III. It will drastically increase speed of calculation and we can also evaluate more parameters,” he said.

ISRO’s existing supercomputer is only 70 teraflops, whereas this supercomputer can be ramped much higher than 220 teraflops. According to ISRO, the present GPU system offers significant advantage over the conventional CPU-based system in terms of cost, power and space requirements. The total cost of this supercomputer is about Rs 14 crore. The system is eco-friendly and consumes a power of only 150 kW. This system can also be easily scaled to a petaflops or 1000 teraflops.

The supercomputing facility named as Satish Dhawan Supercomputing Facility is located at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram. SAGA-220 is fully designed and built by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre using commercially available hardware, open source software components and in-house developments.