Development of India’s First Supercomputer

“Great nations are not built on borrowed technology.” - Vijay Bhatkar

The genesis of India’s supercomputing journey can be traced back to the late 1980s. At that time, supercomputers, which were crucial for the development of satellites and nuclear weapons, had been developed by the United States and European countries. However, when India expressed interest in acquiring this technology, these nations declined, fearing potential military applications.

The turning point arrived in 1987 during an accord between PM Rajiv Gandhi and US President Ronald Reagan. Instead of offering India the latest Cray supercomputer, the Americans proposed an older model, with the stipulation that its usage be restricted to meteorological purposes.

Shortly thereafter, Vijay Bhatkar, who had recently left his position as director of the ER&DC to join the Tatas in Pune, received a call from Nambiar, the Secretary of the Department of Electronics. He was asked, “Can you build a supercomputer?”. Despite never having seen a supercomputer, Bhatkar, who had been studying about them, agreed to undertake the mission with a budget of Rs 34 crore. His rationale was simple: “Three years, because that was about the time it took to import a supercomputer then, and Rs 34 crore because it was the prevailing price of the machine.” Bhatkar not only committed to building the supercomputer but also an entire institution and infrastructure with manpower. Thus, in March 1988, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) was established, with a clear mandate to develop an indigenous supercomputer to meet high-speed computational needs.

Bhatkar strategically decided to pursue parallel processing for the supercomputer, a method that leverages the power of multiple processors to perform a supercomputing task. Given the technology blockade, this was the only feasible path forward. Bhatkar had to depend on hisnetwork of friends, as well as German and British professors, to acquire some critical components and have them shipped to India through various countries.

C-DAC, with its open and non-hierarchical culture, attracted the country’s top talent. The center operated round the clock, offering employees the flexibility to choose their working hours. Engineers and design experts willingly left their permanent jobs to work on contracts for three years. Bhatkar led by example, being the first to sign up on contract, foregoing the security of a government position. In fact, the initial team of 20 people worked without pay for six months.

Attracting the brightest minds from across India was not the challenge, the real task was to channel their individual brilliance towards a common goal. It was common at C-DAC for even a junior engineer to walk into Bhatkar’s room, point a finger at him, engaging in an intense argument on any project-related issue.

Bhatkar recalls, “The biggest challenge was to bring coherence to the diversity of views. You can only influence the course of an argument by your own knowledge, not by pulling rank.” This approach fostered a culture of respect for knowledge and expertise, rather than hierarchy, played a crucial role in the successful development of India’s first supercomputer.

The young engineers at C-DAC were filled with enthusiasm and impatience. When they needed a component, they wanted it immediately, not fully understanding that they were part of a government institution still operating under the constraints of the license-permit raj.

However, Nambiar and Bhatkar, demonstrating their faith in the team, decided to bypass the traditional government tendering system for purchases. The purchasing teams at C-DAC justified this faith by negotiating fiercely with vendors. They managed to negotiate the price of a $1 million software package from Synopsis and Mentorgraphics, major design software companies, down to a mere $150,000.

Throughout the years, not a single corruption charge was raised, even though government auditors were constantly on the lookout for any irregularities. Bhatkar, in his role as a protective leader, shielded his team from the intricacies of bureaucracy. “I absorbed all the pain myself and never let it affect my team,” he says.

Within two years, an advanced computer prototype named PARAM was developed. This achievement marked a first for a developing country and sent shockwaves around the world. However, within India, many questioned the legitimacy of PARAM. To dispel these doubts, Bhatkar decided to showcase PARAM at the Zurich supercomputing show in 1990.

Bhatkar decided to benchmark PARAM, where the US, Japan, Germany, Russia, and an AngloFrench consortium were participating. The C-DAC’s machine arrived in Zurich in disassembled form at 2 am, and a team of twelve engineers assembled it by 11 am for the test. Initially, the machine refused to function, but surprisingly, it started operating smoothly when the benchmarking exercise began.

India secured second place, trailing only the US, and followed by the Anglo-French consortium. Even the Germans and Russians lagged behind India, while the Japanese failed to launch their machine. Reflecting on this moment, Bhatkar said, “All indications were of a failure. It was nothing else but divine intervention.” This marked a turning point in India’s technological journey, demonstrating the nation’s resilience and ingenuity in the face of adversity. A US newspaper captured this momentous achievement with the headline, “Denied supercomputer, Angry India does it!”

Remarkably, PARAM cost only a fraction of the price of the renowned US machine, Cray, yet performed just as well. This forced the US company that manufactured Cray to drastically reduce its prices to attract a nation it had rejected just eight years prior. The success of PARAM was such that even Russia purchased the Indian supercomputer.

In 1998, Bhatkar delivered the teraflop architecture machine, after a decade of phenomenal technological advancements. His contributions earned him the applause of the scientific world, and he left the institution on a high note.

The journey of C-DAC stands as a testament to the powerful synergy between high science and deep spiritualism. A dynamic team of young scientists and technocrats, with an average age of around 23, overcame numerous obstacles. This achievement underscores the resilience and ingenuity of the team, and their commitment to advancing India’s technological capabilities.

~Sarthak Kulkarni