C-DAC, Geological Survey of India signs MoU to advance mineral exploration and disaster management
New Delhi, August 4
The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Geological Survey of India signed an Umbrella Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaboration in geoscience, mineral exploration and disaster management through advanced next-generation technologies.
According to MeitY, the strategic partnership was formalised at Electronics Niketan in New Delhi today. The agreement aims to combine C-DAC's High-Performance Computing (HPC) capabilities with GSI's geological expertise to address complex sub-surface exploration challenges through advanced digital technologies.
The MoU was signed by E Magesh, Director General, C-DAC and Pradeep Singh, Additional Director General, Geological Survey of India (GSI), in the presence of S Krishnan, IAS, Secretary, MeitY.
Under the terms of the agreement, the collaboration envisages the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and HPC for processing large geophysical datasets. This technical integration will enable high-resolution 3D subsurface mapping, predictive modelling for mineral targeting, and the cognitive processing of decades of unstructured geological records into a dedicated domain Large Language Model (LLM).
In addition to exploration, the joint effort will focus on disaster mitigation through slope-scale landslide monitoring using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), the development of early warning systems, and detailed studies on Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF).
The partnership also aims to accelerate the discovery of critical minerals and Rare Earth Elements (REE). This focus on resource identification seeks to contribute directly to India's economic security, supply chain resilience, and technological self-reliance.
The signing ceremony saw attendance from key senior officials of both organisations. Sudeep Srivastava, Joint Secretary, MeitY; Maneesh Khar, Deputy Director General, DGCO, GSI; Praveer Pankaj, Director, DGCO, GSI; and Mukesh Verma, Director, DGCO, GSI were present at the event.
Other key representatives included Manoj Jain, Group Coordinator (R&D in IT), MeitY; Cmde Sandeep Wadhwa, Executive Director (Corporate & Govt. Business), C-DAC; Ch. A. S. Murty, Executive Director, C-DAC Hyderabad; Mrinmoy Kumar Das, Executive Director, C-DAC Kolkata; Prasad Wadlakondawar, Scientist F, C-DAC Pune; Manoj Khare, Scientist G & HoD, C-DAC Pune; D. Ethirajan, Scientist F & Centre Head, C-DAC Chennai; Poonguzhali P, Scientist F, C-DAC Chennai; Sayantani Bhattacharya, Scientist E, C-DAC Chennai; and Geeta Singh, Scientist C, alongside delegates from C-DAC and MeitY.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The focus on GLOF and landslide monitoring is crucial, especially with climate change impacting our Himalayan regions. Glad to see technology being leveraged for disaster preparedness. Hope this translates into real on-ground action soon, not just MoUs on paper.
Interesting move by India to leverage supercomputing for geological surveys. The Rare Earth Elements discovery angle is particularly strategic given global supply chain pressures. This is smart tech diplomacy and resource security thinking.
As someone from Uttarakhand, the landslide and GLOF monitoring part really resonates with me. We've seen the devastation these disasters cause. Using SAR technology for early warnings could save thousands of lives. Please implement this on priority! 🙏
Good initiative but let's see how this translates into actual discovery of critical minerals. We've had many such MoUs before. The key will be in execution and whether the LLM they plan to build actually gets fed with proper data from GSI archives. Fingers crossed, but cautiously optimistic.
This is what technological self-reliance looks like. Combining HPC with geological expertise for critical mineral discovery is exactly what emerging economies should be doing. The 3D subsurface mapping will be fascinating to see develop.
K Kavya N < We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.