Credit: Patrobras
Rio de Janeiro — Brazillian petroleum corporation Petrobras has put the Lenovo “Harpia” R$435 million (USD$25 million) supercomputer into operation.
The machine, to be used for seismic imaging, is the largest of the five Lenovo HPC systems Petrobas has purchased that together cost R$500 million and will increase Petrobras’ computational capacity by more than 60 percent, according to the company.
The Harpia HPC weighs about 50 ton and is 50 meters in length. It will have around 146 PFlops Rpeak. Once installation is complete, it will replace the company’s Fênix, Atlas and Dragão HPCs, which will be decommissioned.
Other supercomputers, such as Ada Lovelace, dedicated to geostatistics, and Capivara, focused on seismic imaging, are in operation at the Petrobras data processing center of the company’s Research Center, Cenpes.
Quati, currently in the testing phase, is expected to begin operations this month and will also be used for seismic analysis. Tupã 2, scheduled for the first quarter of next year, will be dedicated to geophysical multiphysics methods, a technology that allows the simultaneous study of different subsurface rock and fluid properties, such as density and electrical resistivity.
For the past five years, Petrobras has ranked as the Latin American leader in the Top500 listing of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.
Petrobras geophysicists will use the system to process raw seismic data and transform it into detailed images of the subsurface.
“It’s like creating a 3D map of the rock layers beneath the surface, with much sharper and more accurate images of geological structures — essential for identifying petroleum systems and potential oil and gas reservoirs,” said Petrobras Exploration and Production Director Sylvia Anjos.
By renewing and expanding its capacity for processing geophysical and geological data, the company will obtain faster and more accurate results for the operational challenges of ultra-deepwater environments and new exploratory areas, such as the pre-salt and the Equatorial Margin.
“Obtaining more detailed seismic images of the subsurface allows us to refine reservoir behavior simulations, enabling more efficient production. In addition, large computational capacities allow Petrobras to compete globally, attract partnerships, and seize business opportunities,” highlights Clarice Coppetti, Corporate Affairs Director. In R&D&I projects, between 2025 and 2029, Petrobras said it plans to spend US$4.2 billion, an increase of 17 percent compared to the previous plan.
“Harpia will also be eco-efficient, balancing processing power with energy consumption,” the company said. “Sustainability was a focus from the supercomputer’s initial design to the choice of the most efficient technologies. Energy use considerations also guided the design of the room where the machine will be installed, which was specifically engineered to operate with the lowest possible energy consumption.”
