The National Supercomputing Mission announced 11 new supercomputers to be built and installed across India

The next stage of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is now moving forward as the central government has just approved 11 supercomputers to be built and installed in various research centers all across India. The government is looking at expanding the mission and installing 73 indigenous supercomputers by 2022. Headed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Science and Technology, the program is being ushered through the Center for Development of Advanced Computing in Pune and the Indian Institute of Sciences in Bangalore. 

The first phase of the mission, various parts of supercomputers were first imported and then assembled in India. The first of its kind to be assembled in the country, the Param Shivay supercomputer was installed in IIT (BHU) earlier this year. Other supercomputers like the Param Shakti and Param Brahma were also installed at IIT-Kharagpur and at IISER, Pune. 

In an exclusive with the Print, the head of the NSM said that the supercomputers that were currently installed use Intel motherboards but are 60% indigenous. But, the next 11 systems in the next phase of the mission will use processors that have been developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing. These processors will have a capacity of 10 petaflops. 

Kulkarni also said that the C-DAC processor is still being tested and will be ready to go my March 2020. He also added, “One system will be installed at C-DAC exclusively for small and medium enterprises, so that they can train employees as well as work on supercomputers at very low cost.” The budget for the entire project will be around 4,500 crores. 

If you're interested in the world of supercomputing, you should check out our list of the Top 5 supercomputers in India, right here. 

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Ola Guardian, an AI-Enabled Real-Time Ride Monitoring System expands to more cities

Ola rolled out 'Ola Guardian', a real-time customer ride monitoring system at the end of last year. After running the pilot project, the company is now expanding its Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based safety feature across several cities in India as well as Australia. Ola Guardian uses real-time data from rides to automatically detect irregular trip activity, including prolonged stops and unexpected route deviations. The feature is now live in 16 Indian cities as well as in Perth, Australia. Ola is aiming to launch ‘Guardian’ in more cities in the next quarter.

In the official statement, Ola said, “We are focused on developing innovations that place customer safety at the heart of platform experience. Guardian brings together the precision of artificial intelligence with the assurance of human intervention, enabling a uniform and safe mobility experience across the markets we operate in."

Ola ‘Guardian’ is a real-time monitoring system, which was launched as a pilot in Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune. It is part of Ola’s national programme on safety, ‘Street Safe’. According to the company, it is a first for the ride-sharing industry. The alerts from ‘'Guardian' are flagged off in real-time to the firm's dedicated 24x7 "Safety Response Team.” The team reaches out to drivers and customers to confirm their safety and offer on-the-call assistance until ride completion.

To prevent driver impersonation, Ola has put in place a facial recognition system. Through the selfie authentication initiative, driver-partners are required to validate their identity by taking a selfie and sharing it with the Ola team immediately through the app. This photograph of the driver will then be compared to the image on record. Impersonators will have their platform access revoked and will be subject to investigation. Ola will also initiate offline audit checks at transport hubs including airports, railway stations and bus stands to further curb driver impersonation.

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Kia Seltos EV reportedly in development

Having launched its maiden vehicle in India some six months ago, Korean automaker Kia appears to be eyeing the EV space for 2020. According to a recent report by US Kia news portal theKEEA, an all-electric version of the Kia Seltos subcompact crossover is currently in development. The Kia Seltos EV will, naturally, be based on the Kia Seltos that’s currently selling in the Indian market at a starting price of Rs 9.69 lakh. Production of the Kia Seltos EV is reportedly set to happen in August 2020. The car will initially be exclusive to Asian markets, which should include India.

While Kia has not officially confirmed the development of the Seltos EV, rumours about it have been trickling in gradually. The latest one from theKEEA reveals some of the specs the car might have. For starters, it’s codenamed SP2 EV, which is a rather suggestive variation of the original SP Concept badge the early Seltos bore. Secondly, it’s said to share its powertrain with the Hyundai Kona Electric (and Kia Soul EV). That means it could have the same 64kWh lithium-ion polymer battery that’s hooked up to a single permanent-magnet synchronous motor that produces 204 horsepower.

Now, it’s worth noting that the Hyundai Kona Electric sold in the Indian market has a feebler powertrain, so the Kia Seltos EV could be fitted with the same. Unlike the model sold in the US and Europe, the Kona Electric in India is powered by a 39.2kWh lithium-ion polymer battery that’s connected to a single permanent-magnet synchronous motor that produces 136 horsepower. Despite the smaller battery, the Kona Electric enjoys an ARAI-certified range of 452 kilometres on a single charge. This means the Seltos EV could come with a similar range if it ends up getting the Kona Electric’s powertrain in India.

The Kia Seltos was announced in India in June this year with as many as three engine options, including a 1.4-litre Turbo GDI petrol motor that’s mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. While the exteriors get Kia’s proprietary ‘Tiger Nose’ grille and all-LED headlamps along with numerous drive control technologies, the interiors get six airbags, a head-up display, climate control, and an inbuilt air purifier. The dashboard is home to a 10.25-inch touchscreen display that’s part of the Seltos’ advanced infotainment system. You can read more about the Kia Seltos here.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite and Galaxy S10 Lite could launch at CES 2020

Information circulating the internet suggests that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite and Galaxy S10 Lite could launch at CES 2020. The information comes from the Korea Herald which suggests that Samsung could showcase the devices at the world's largest consumer electronics show. However, they don't cite any industry source or insider with the information so we suggest you take it with a grain of salt. Samsung is expected to showcase its flagship S11 family of devices around MWC 2020 which takes place in February so expect more mobile news from the Mobile World Congress. As for CES, the Consumer Electronics Show is the world's largest exhibition for consumer electronics. The event kicks off on January 7, 2020, at Las Vegas. 

CES is usually home to a wide variety of consumer electronics from TVs to refrigerators, smart home appliances, concept devices, fitness devices, wearables, 3D printers and a whole lot more. We have seen smartphones at CES but flagship launches have been far and few. 

According to the Korea Herald “The relatively affordable Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note10 Lite models, with lower-end specs to square off against Apple’s iPhone XR and iPhone 11, are likely to be presented at CES 2020. The Lite lineup is expected to be launched initially in India in January”.

Speaking of the specification of the S10 Lite, Information circulating the internet suggests that the device will sport a 6.7-inch full-HD+ (1080 x 2400 pixels) Super AMOLED display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the smartphone will be powered by the flagship Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage. At the back, the S10 Lite is expected to house a 48MP primary camera along with a 12MP ultra-wide camera and a 5MP macro camera. At the front, the device is expected to have a 32MP camera for your selfie needs. A 4500mAh battery with support for 45W fast charging is expected to power the entire package. The smartphone is expected to come in white, black, and blue colour options. 

Moving to the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite, the device is expected to sport a 6.7-inch full-HD+ (1080 x 2400 pixels) HDR AMOLED display with a hole-punch for the front-facing camera. Under the hood, it is expected to be powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 9810 SoC, coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS storage. It is expected to have three cameras at the back - a 12MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a third 12MP telephoto camera with support for 2x optical zoom. At the front, the device will have a 32MP selfie camera, just like the S10 Lite. Just like the S10 Lite, the Note 10 Lite is expected to have a 4500mAh battery but the difference is that the Note 10 Lite has support for 25W Samsung Fast Charging. The phone is expected to come in Black, Red and White colour options with a gradient finish.

In other CES news, OnePlus has confirmed their presence at the event and will showcase the Concept One. You can read more about it here.

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Reliance Jio 2020 Happy New Year Offer offering 1 year of unlimited services has been announced

Reliance Jio has announced a new ‘2020 Happy New Year Offer’ for both current Jio users and those who are planning to get a new JioPhone. The offer allows Jio users to avail 1.5GB/day data, 100 SMS per day and Jio to Non-Jio FUP of 12,000 minutes with 12 months of validity at Rs 2020. Overall, it is Rs 179 cheaper than the already available All-In-One plans that were announced earlier this month. Apart from this, those who want to purchase the JioPhone can get it for Rs 2020 along with 0.5GB of data per day with 12 months of validity.

The latest development comes in light of new year celebrations. The ‘2020 Happy New Year Offer’ is now available from Jio’s website as well as the app. Moreover, all those who subscribe to the new offer will also get a complimentary subscription to Reliance Jio apps. The company has said that the 2020 Happy New Year Offer will be available only for a limited period.

Reliance Jio introduced All-In-One plans, earlier this month. They were touted to be the “most affordable plan in the industry.” There are three plans with 28 days of validity priced at Rs 199, Rs 249 and Rs 349. All of these come with 1000 minutes of FUP for calls on other networks. Moreover, there are plans with 56-day validity, which are priced at Rs 399 and Rs 444. Both these plans offer 2000 minutes of talk time FUP for calling on other networks and offer 1.5GB and 2GB of data per day. You can read more about the All-In-One plans here.

We also compared the prepaid plans from Jio, Airtel and Vodafone. The comparison includes all the plans under Rs 300, Rs 500, Rs 700 and Rs 1,000. You can read the comparison here.

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Realme X50 5G could launch as soon as January 5, according to a teaser

Realme X50 5G launch date is all set to be revealed tomorrow, December 24. The next Realme flagship is expected to debut as the first 5G smartphone by the company. However, past teasers have already confirmed dual-channel Wi-Fi and 5G connectivity support and inclusion of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC. Realme X50 5G will also sport a 64MP primary camera. To recall, the smartphone was initially said to launch sometime before the Chinese Spring Festival that is scheduled for January 25.

The latest development comes from a Weibo post that carries a teaser image, which suggests the Realme X50 5G launch could take place on January 5. It also corroborates the recent hint provided by Realme CMO Xu Qi Chase who revealed a poster suggesting January 5 as the launch date for the Realme X50 5G. For reference, January 5 is a Sunday. Hence, the launch date could take place on January 15 since the teaser image shows a glimpse at numeric five, and the latter falls on a Tuesday. 

Realme X50 5G is rumoured to feature a 6.6-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It is confirmed to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC. The smartphone is said to come equipped with 8GB RAM. Realme has also said that all of the components inside the Realme X50 5G will be cooled by a “five-dimensional ice-cooled heat dissipation system.” According to the company, this system will cover 100 percent of all the heat-generating components. The cooling solution will also include an 8mm ultra-large liquid-cooled copper tube.

Realme X50 5G could sport a quad rear camera setup, which includes a 60-megapixel primary camera with Sony IMX686 sensor, an 8-megapixel wide-angle shooter, and two 2-megapixel shooters (one for macro and one for portraits). Realme X50 is likely to have dual selfie shooters. It may include a 32-megapixel main shooter and an 8-megapixel wide-angle shooter.

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ISROs 2020 plans include Sun mission, Gaganyaan, Reusable Launch Vehicle test-flight and more

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has revealed its 2020 plans. Speaking to Times of India about the Organisation’s 2020 targets, ISRO chairman K Sivan has shed light on what is to come in 2020. ISRO is planning to launch a dozen key satellite missions including the high-profile interplanetary mission Aditya (sun) and first unmanned test-flight of the Gaganyaan mission, carrying a robot with human features (humanoid).

Talking about ISRO’s 2020 plans, Sivan said, “We are targeting to launch over 10 satellite missions next year. They will include advanced communication satellites GISAT 1 and GISAT-12R and earth observation satellites RISAT-2BR2 and Microsat (for surveillance). We are also targetting to launch Aditya L1 (Sun) Mission by mid-2020 and the first unmanned test-flight of Gaganyaan in December.”

The Aditya L1 Mission will be India’s first-ever solar mission. It will help scientists to study the solar Corona, which is the outer most part of the Sun’s atmosphere. It is usually hidden by the bright light of the Sun's surface. Sivan also revealed that a PSLV will be used to carry the spacecraft. The 400 KG-Class satellite will carry six scientific payloads that will be inserted in a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1). For reference, L1 is 1.5 million km from the Earth. 

Sivan also said, “The test-flight of the reusable launch vehicle (RLV) and the first development flight of newly-developed Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV or mini-PSLV) are likely to be launched by early next year." The RLV tech will enable ISRO to reuse first and second stages of a rocket to cut costs. After injecting the satellite in its orbit, the shuttle will glide back to Earth and land on an airstrip.  Like Space X’s Falcon rocket, the first rocket stage will be recovered on a vertical landing spot on a sea.

ISRO has also mapped out the Gaganyaan mission, which includes GSLV MKIII launch vehicle that will carry a humanoid robot to space. The activities of humanoid will be monitored by the scientists so as to prepare for a manned mission later on. This is the first test flight which will be followed by a second unmanned one in July 2021 and finally the human spaceflight mission in December 2021.

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