American technology company IBM has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to bolster High Performance Computing (HPC) in India.
The collaboration seeks to nurture India’s developer community by concentrating on processor design, system design, firmware, and application development, including contributions to open-source projects.
The primary focus of this partnership is to harness IBM’s Power processor for HPC applications, targeting startups, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), research organizations, and academic institutions across India. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Electronics & IT, and Jal Shakti, underscored the transformative potential of semiconductors in various industries and the government’s ambition to position India as a global semiconductor hub.
Highlighting the significance of chip design and intellectual property creation, Chandrasekhar stated, “We are doubling down on a strategy that includes RISC V and IBM’s Power—these two families will be the Indian families of semiconductors around which we will build multiple applications—microprocessors, IoT among others.”
The collaboration between IBM and C-DAC goes beyond just promoting a processor; it aims to build a comprehensive ecosystem for HPC in India. This includes guiding startups and companies in developing reliable HPC systems, co-developing innovations across the technology stack, and conducting capacity-building workshops.
Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India & South Asia, expressed pride in partnering with C-DAC to advance India’s digital transformation and economic growth through such technologies. He stated, “This collaboration aims to create…a conducive environment. At IBM, we are proud to partner with C-DAC to take the next step towards our continued commitment to enhance India’s digital transformation and economic growth through such technologies.”
Under this MoU, the HPC working group has been established to initiate the design and development of competitive indigenous processors based on the IBM Power architecture. The launch is anticipated to facilitate rapid learning and knowledge sharing within the indigenous developer community, significantly reducing the time required for multiple design iterations and silicon validation.