NATIONAL SUPERCOMPUTING MISSION

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Picture Courtesy: Economic Times

Context:

India’s National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) aims to build indigenous high-performance computing (HPC) capacity.

 What is National Supercomputing Mission?

The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) was initiated in 2015 to strengthen India’s high-end computing ecosystem and position the country among globally competitive supercomputing nations. The mission responds to the rapidly growing computational needs of India’s scientific, academic, and strategic sectors.

NSM is jointly implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The mission aligns closely with the objectives of Digital India and Make in India.

Rationale for the Mission

Despite having strong scientific manpower, India’s presence in global supercomputing has remained limited, with relatively low global ranking and few operational supercomputers. Increasing reliance on data-intensive research, strategic simulations, and emerging technologies necessitated a national-level coordinated HPC infrastructure.

Core Objectives

• Establish a nationwide grid of over 70 High Performance Computing (HPC) systems.
• Provide equitable access to advanced computing for academic and R&D institutions.
• Achieve technological self-reliance in supercomputing.
• Enable India to address large-scale, multidisciplinary scientific and societal challenges.

Application Areas

NSM supports computational research across a wide spectrum, including:

• Climate modelling and weather forecasting
• Aerospace and defence simulations
• Computational biology and drug discovery
• Atomic energy and materials science
• Disaster prediction and seismic analysis
• Astrophysics and large system simulations
• Big data analytics, finance, and e-governance systems

Current Status of NSM:

• A total of 34 supercomputerswith a combined compute capacity of 35 Petaflops, have been deployed across various academic institutions, research organizations, and R&D labs, including prominent institutions like IISc, IITs, C-DAC, and other institutions from Tier-II and Tier III cities of the country under NSM. (Source: PIB)
• C-DAChas developed the indigenous high-speed communication network, "Trinetra," to enhance data transfer and communication between computing nodes, strengthening India’s supercomputing capabilities.
• Government has initiated a project AIRAWAT for providing a common compute platformfor AI research and knowledge assimilation. This AI computing infrastructure will be used by all Technology Innovation Hubs, research labs, scientific community, industry, start-ups and institutions under the NKN.
• In 2022, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluruhas installed Param Pravega, one of the most powerful Indian supercomputers. Param Pravega having a supercomputing power of 3 petaflops, is the largest supercomputer that has been installed in an Indian academic institution. (Source: PIB)

Importance of National Supercomputing Mission:

Indigenous technology development: The mission prioritises design and deployment of supercomputers using Indian hardware and software, reducing long-term dependence on imports.

Phased roll-out: NSM follows a multi-phase implementation model, gradually scaling infrastructure across institutions based on readiness and research demand.

High-end research enablement: HPC systems under NSM support cutting-edge research in AI, machine learning, climate science, health, and national security.

Alignment with Make in India: By encouraging domestic manufacturing of servers, processors, and system software, NSM strengthens India’s electronics and digital manufacturing base.

Skill development and training: Structured training programmes aim to create a skilled HPC workforce, essential for optimal utilisation of supercomputing resources.

Academia–industry collaboration: The mission promotes partnerships between research institutions and industry to translate computational research into real-world applications.

Energy-efficient computing: Emphasis is placed on power-efficient and sustainable supercomputing systems, reducing operational costs and environmental impact.

Phase Wise Infrastructural development:

Phase I: Initial Capability Building

The first phase focused on the deployment of six supercomputers using components largely assembled within India.

• Objective: Develop system integration skills and operational experience.
• Outcome: Laid the foundation for domestic participation in HPC infrastructure.

Phase II: Partial Indigenisation

The second phase marked a shift towards local manufacturing and indigenous software development.

• Indigenous content achieved: Around 40%.
• Emphasis on developing domestic competence in system software, middleware, and integration.

Phase III: Full Indigenisation Target

The final phase aims at end-to-end indigenous design and manufacturing of all critical HPC components.

• Focus areas: Processors, interconnects, servers, and software stacks.
• Long-term goal: Establish a national-level supercomputing facility built entirely on Indian technology.

Indigenous technology development under NSM:

Trinetra:

Trinetra is an indigenously developed high-speed communication fabric created by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under NSM.
Its primary objective is to enable fast and efficient data transfer between computing nodes, which is critical for large-scale parallel processing.

Phases of Trinetra

Trinetra is being developed through three sequential stages:

• Trinetra-POC: Proof-of-concept validation
• Trinetra-A: Early deployment and optimisation
• Trinetra-B: Advanced implementation for large-scale HPC systems

PARAM Rudra Supercomputers:

• Built on Rudra HPC servers, which are designed and manufactured in India.
• Supported by a fully indigenous system software stack.
• Rudra servers are the first Indian-made servers to meet international HPC performance benchmarks.

PARAM Shivay

• India’s first supercomputer deployed under NSM.
• Installed at IIT (BHU), Varanasi.
• Marked the operational beginning of the national supercomputing grid.

PARAM Pravega

• Installed at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
• Recognised as the largest academic supercomputer in India.
• Among the most powerful supercomputing systems in the country, supporting diverse scientific research.

Challenges of NSM:

• Slow pace of deployment: The rollout of supercomputing facilities has been slower than anticipated, delaying access for many institutions.
• Dependence on imported hardware: Despite indigenisation goals, India still relies heavily on foreign processors, memory, and fabrication ecosystems.
• Financial and administrative bottlenecks: Funding delays and procedural constraints have affected procurement, infrastructure development, and research timelines.
• Shortage of skilled manpower: Limited availability of experts trained in HPC architecture, parallel programming, and AI-HPC integration restricts effective utilisation.
• Energy and infrastructure constraints: High power and cooling requirements pose challenges, particularly in regions with weak energy infrastructure.
• Limited private sector engagement: Industry participation remains modest, reducing opportunities for commercial innovation and technology transfer.

Conclusion:

The National Supercomputing Mission represents India’s strategic push to achieve self-reliance in high-performance computing while empowering scientific research, innovation, and national problem-solving. By building indigenous infrastructure, developing skilled human resources, and enabling advanced applications across critical sectors, NSM is laying the foundation for technological sovereignty and global competitiveness in the data-driven future.

 Source: Economic Times