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India jumps to fourth place in computing capacity for weather forecasting

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8 years ago

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~By Sunderarajan Padmanabhan

India on Monday, January 8, took a major step ahead in upgrading computing capacity in the area of weather forecasting and climate monitoring. Union Minister for Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated a super computer system at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune on Monday, taking its total high performance computing (HPC) power to as high as 6.8 Petaflop.

A Petaflop is the ability of a computer to execute one quadrillion (10 to the power 15, or 1 followed by 15 zeroes) floating point operations per second (FLOPS).

With this, India will now occupy the fourth position, next only to United Kingdom, Japan and USA in terms of dedicated capacity for HPC resources for weather and climate proposes. The UK leads with a capacity of 20.4 Petaflop, followed by Japan with 20 Petaflop and USA with 10.7 Petaflop. India had till now occupied the eighth position with a capacity of 1 Petaflop. With the new system, it has now jumped over Korea (4.8 Petaflop), France (4.4 Petaflop) and China (2.6 Petaflop).

The augmentation in the computing capacity would result in major improvements in various services offered by institutions under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) for weather, climate and ocean state forecasts. The new supercomputer has been named ‘Pratyush’.

For instance, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) would be able to predict extreme weather events such as Mumbai floods of 2005, Kedarnath deluge of 2013 or Chennai floods of 2015 more accurately. It would also be able provide more exact forecast for cyclones with longer lead times and more precise estimate of where it would cross the coast.  It would also help farmers get better seasonal, extended range forecast of active, and break spells of monsoon and fishermen better input on the quality of the marine water all along the Indian coast.

Of the 6.8 Petaflop, four Petaflop has been set up at IITM and the balance 2.8 Petaflop at the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast (NCMRWF) at Noida. The computing capacity will be available to all user institutions. Among other things, the Tsunami Warning Centre under the Ministry’s Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services will make use of the system to improve upon its tsunami forecast.

Dedicating the supercomputer set up at a cost of Rs. 450 crore, Dr Harsh Vardhan, said the improvement in the computing capacity would go a long way in delivering various societal applications committed by MoES. It will also give a major fillip to research activities not only in MoES but also in academic institutions working on earth science related issues.

“MoES endeavours to provide world class services in the areas of weather, climate, ocean and seismology and constantly strives to upgrade its research activities and other infrastructure facilities. In order to provide useful services, it runs several computationally intensive applications on high performance computers. In the last 10 years, the HPC infrastructure at MoES had grown from 40 Teraflops in 2008 to one Petaflop in 2013-14. Now, it has gone up further,” the minister added.

Speaking to India Science Wire, MoES Secretary Dr Madhavan Nair Rajeevan agreed that upgradation of the computing capability was only a necessary condition and was by itself not adequate to improve various forecasting services offered by MoES. “We are aware that there is a need to also have more effective models, larger data at different levels and well qualified manpower to make use of the increasing computing capacity. We are working on them in parallel. The benefits of the supercomputer would keep growing over time”. (India Science Wire).

-India Science Wire

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Samsung Galaxy S25 FE India price leak suggests launch similar to S24 FE

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE India price has surfaced online, hinting at a similar launch price as the S24 FE. The phone brings a 6.7-inch AMOLED display, Exynos 2400 chip, triple rear cameras, and a 4,900mAh battery.

Published

3 months ago

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September 11, 2025

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Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, which was unveiled globally on September 4, is yet to receive official pricing for the Indian market. However, a fresh leak indicates that the handset could debut in India at the same price point as its predecessor, the Galaxy S24 FE.

Expected price and availability in India

According to tipster Yogesh Brar, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE may be priced at ₹59,999 for the base 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant in India. This matches the launch price of last year’s Galaxy S24 FE, which started at ₹59,999 for the same configuration. The higher 8GB RAM + 256GB model of the S24 FE was earlier priced at ₹65,999.

Globally, the Galaxy S25 FE has been introduced at $650 (around ₹58,000) for the base variant and $710 (around ₹63,000) for the 8GB + 256GB version. In India, the smartphone is expected to go on sale in October, similar to last year’s rollout schedule for the S24 FE.

The phone is offered in Icyblue, Jetblack, Navy, and White colour options.

Key specifications

  • Display: 6.7-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz refresh rate, 1,900 nits peak brightness, Vision Booster, Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection.
  • Processor: Exynos 2400 SoC.
  • RAM & Storage: 8GB RAM standard, up to 512GB UFS 4.0 storage.
  • Rear Cameras: 50MP wide-angle + 8MP telephoto + 12MP ultrawide; 8K video recording at 30fps.
  • Front Camera: 12MP selfie shooter.
  • Battery: 4,900mAh with 45W wired and 15W wireless charging.
  • Build: 7.4mm thick, 190g weight, IP68-rated water and dust resistance.
  • Cooling: 10% larger vapour chamber compared to the Galaxy S24 FE.

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iPhone 17 series launched in India: Price starts at Rs 82,900, goes up to Rs 2.29 lakh

Apple has launched the iPhone 17 series in India with prices starting at Rs 82,900. Pre-booking begins on 12 September, and the phones will be available from 19 September.

Published

3 months ago

on

September 10, 2025

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iphone 17

Apple has officially launched its much-awaited iPhone 17 series in India, introducing four models – iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. The series comes with advanced features, multiple storage variants, and a starting price of Rs 82,900. Pre-bookings will open from 12 September, while sales begin on 19 September.

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air price in India

The standard iPhone 17 is priced at Rs 82,900 for the 256GB base variant. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Air, designed with a slimmer and more premium look, starts at Rs 1,19,900.

Key features of iPhone 17

  • Display: 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz ProMotion, up to 3000 nits brightness with Ceramic Shield 2 protection.
  • Camera: Dual 48MP setup (Fusion main + Ultra Wide) with 2X telephoto capability, along with a new Centre Stage front camera.
  • Performance: Powered by the A19 chipset, runs on iOS 26, 40% faster than iPhone 16.
  • Battery: Up to 8 hours longer backup compared to its predecessor.

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max price in India

The premium segment begins with iPhone 17 Pro priced at Rs 1,34,900, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at Rs 1,49,900. The top-end Pro Max with the highest storage option goes up to Rs 2,29,900. These models are available in Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, and Silver colours.

Key features of Pro models

  • Display: iPhone 17 Pro with 6.3-inch and Pro Max with 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, both featuring 120Hz refresh rate and 3000 nits brightness.
  • Chipset: New A19 Pro with Vapour Chamber Cooling for heavy usage.
  • Camera: Triple 48MP system including an advanced telephoto lens with 8X optical zoom and 40X digital zoom, plus an 18MP front camera.
  • Battery & Charging: Best-ever battery backup on Pro Max, with USB-C fast charging – 50% charge in just 20 minutes.

Why the iPhone 17 series stands out

The new iPhones not only bring improved design and performance but also integrate Apple Intelligence AI features for messaging, calls and visual tools.

Offers and EMI options

  • No-cost EMI: Available for up to 6 months.
  • Cashback: ICICI Bank users can avail up to Rs 5,000 instant cashback.
  • For instance, buying the iPhone 17 Pro Max (Rs 1,49,900) on a 6-month no-cost EMI plan brings effective savings of Rs 11,525, including cashback and EMI benefits.

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Lava Yuva Smart 2 launched in India with 5,000mAh battery and dual cameras

Lava has launched the Yuva Smart 2 in India with a 5,000mAh battery, dual cameras, Android 15 Go Edition, and a price tag of Rs 6,099.

Published

3 months ago

on

September 4, 2025

By

Lava phone

Lava has introduced its latest entry-level smartphone, the Lava Yuva Smart 2, in India. Priced at Rs 6,099, the device offers a large display, a massive battery, and dual cameras, making it a budget-friendly choice for first-time smartphone buyers.

Lava Yuva Smart 2 price and availability

The Yuva Smart 2 is priced at Rs 6,099 for the single 3GB RAM + 64GB storage variant. It will be available in Crystal Blue and Crystal Gold colour options. Lava has announced doorstep service across India, though official sale dates are yet to be disclosed.

Lava Yuva Smart 2 specifications

The smartphone runs on Android 15 Go Edition and is powered by the Unisoc 9863a octa-core chipset. It comes with 3GB RAM (expandable up to 6GB with virtual RAM) and 64GB internal storage.

It features a 6.75-inch HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate. For photography, the phone sports a 13MP AI dual rear camera housed in a square module, along with a 5MP front camera for selfies.

Backed by a 5,000mAh battery with 10W wired charging via USB Type-C, the device also includes a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and face unlock support for security.

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