Atos's Eviden Signs with SKAO for Radio Telescope Infrastructure
Eviden, a subsidiary of Atos Group, has announced an agreement with the SKA Observatory to develop the scientific data processing center for the SKA-Low and SKA-Mid telescopes.
Agreement Details
According to the press release, Eviden, the product branch of Atos Group, has signed a contract with the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) to provide the Scientific Data Processor (SDP) for the SKA-Low and SKA-Mid telescopes, located in Australia and South Africa, respectively. This partnership aims to handle the massive volumes of data generated by these telescopes, which are currently under construction. The initial SDP hardware is expected to be deployed in 2026. The project will process a data volume equivalent to over a million 4K Netflix streams, reducing it 'in real time' to just a few thousand, and then archiving about 700 petabytes per year.
Technical Contributions and Partnerships
According to the company, Eviden will provide a combination of high-performance computing based on Intel processors and software solutions linked to Data Direct Networks (DDN) storage technologies, to ensure efficient and low-latency data management. Local services will be supported by their partner Evernex to ensure operationality and regional support. Eviden will also supply the system software that allows the integration of all hardware components into a single system. SKAO's IT and software manager, Nick Rees, highlighted the complex requirements of the hardware needed by SKAO, which must be deployed incrementally over time while integrating advances in computing during the construction period.
French Contribution and Future Prospects
The Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space has expressed pride in the French contribution to SKAO, highlighting the cutting-edge infrastructure in radio astronomy and the prospects for future innovations. Antoine Petit, President of the CNRS, added that the SKA project represents a significant technological challenge to produce analysis-ready data from the massive streams generated by the telescopes. He also noted France's commitment to designing a sustainable computing infrastructure for SKAO.
