- Petrobras has commissioned the Harpia supercomputer, a R$435 million ($75 million) high-performance computing system.
- Petrobras’ new HPC infrastructure underscores the company’s drive to remain at the technological forefront of the global oil and gas industry.
Petrobras has commissioned the Harpia supercomputer, a R$435 million ($75 million) high-performance computing system designed to reinforce its leadership in seismic imaging, oil exploration, and production development across Brazil’s offshore basins.
The Harpia is the largest of five new high-performance computers (HPCs) acquired by Petrobras in an investment that expands its total computing capacity by more than 60 per cent.
The system, equivalent in processing power to 10 million smartphones, will help geophysicists transform raw seismic data into high-resolution 3D subsurface maps – critical for identifying hydrocarbon reservoirs in challenging environments such as Brazil’s pre-salt and Equatorial Margin basins.
Petrobras’ new HPC infrastructure underscores the company’s drive to remain at the technological forefront of the global oil and gas industry.
Harpia’s 146 PFlops Rpeak performance will allow Petrobras to phase out older machines – Fênix, Atlas, and Dragão – while achieving faster, more precise seismic interpretations that enhance operational efficiency and reservoir management.
The five supercomputers, including the Ada Lovelace (geo-statistics), Capivara (seismic imaging), Quati (under testing), and Tupã 2 (multi-physics modeling), were all supplied by Lenovo.
These systems are housed at Petrobras’ Cenpes research centre in Rio de Janeiro and are engineered for energy efficiency, with cooling and design features aimed at minimising power consumption.
Clarice Coppetti, Petrobras’ Corporate Affairs Director, emphasised that greater computational capacity strengthens Petrobras’ competitive edge and ability to attract partnerships and investment.
Between 2025 and 2029, the company plans to invest $4.2 billion in research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) – a 17 per cent increase over its previous plan.
As Latin America’s consistent leader in the global Top500 ranking of high-performance computers over the past five years, Petrobras continues to use cutting-edge computing to drive discoveries, improve reservoir modeling, and ensure Brazil’s long-term energy security.