National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)

The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is a flagship initiative of the Government of India aimed at establishing a robust and self-reliant ecosystem for high-performance computing (HPC) within the country. Launched in March 2015, the mission seeks to empower India’s scientific, academic, and industrial communities by providing advanced computing infrastructure, developing indigenous supercomputing technologies, and fostering research and innovation in computational sciences. It represents a crucial step towards achieving technological sovereignty and strengthening India’s capacity in data-intensive and computationally demanding fields.

Background and Objectives

The National Supercomputing Mission was conceptualised in response to India’s growing need for high-end computational resources to address complex scientific and engineering challenges. Supercomputing is essential for diverse applications such as climate modelling, weather forecasting, molecular biology, materials science, space research, and artificial intelligence. Prior to the NSM, India’s access to advanced supercomputers was limited and dependent on imports, which restricted national capability in high-performance computation.
The mission is jointly implemented by two premier institutions:

• Department of Science and Technology (DST)
• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)

The implementation is carried out through:

• Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru

The main objectives of NSM include:

1. Establishing a network of high-performance computing facilities across academic and research institutions in India.
2. Developing indigenous supercomputing hardware and software, thereby reducing dependency on foreign technology.
3. Creating a strong human resource base in HPC and related areas through training and skill development.
4. Promoting research and development in supercomputing applications across strategic sectors.
5. Connecting supercomputing facilities through the National Knowledge Network (NKN) to enable collaborative research and data sharing.

Vision and Phases of Implementation

The National Supercomputing Mission was designed as a seven-year programme (2015–2022), with a total outlay of around ₹4,500 crore, though the timeline was later extended to meet updated goals. The mission was structured in multiple phases to gradually scale up computational capacity and self-reliance.
Phase I:

• Focused on deploying imported supercomputers and establishing HPC facilities in leading research and academic institutions.
• Initial systems were assembled using imported hardware but integrated with indigenously developed software environments.

Phase II:

• Emphasised partial indigenisation by integrating components designed and manufactured within India, including interconnects, processors, and system software.
• Several supercomputers were installed during this phase, achieving multi-petaflop performance levels.

Phase III (Ongoing):

• Aims to achieve full indigenisation with domestically designed processors and hardware.
• Focus on developing India’s own supercomputing architecture and achieving exascale capabilities in the long term.

Infrastructure and Achievements

Under the mission, India has established a network of supercomputing facilities across universities, national laboratories, and research centres. The mission envisages installing 73 high-performance computing systems with a combined capacity of over 70 petaflops across the country.
As of the mid-2020s, several major installations have been completed:

• PARAM Shivay – installed at IIT (BHU), Varanasi, in 2019, with a performance capacity of 833 teraflops.
• PARAM Shakti – established at IIT Kharagpur.
• PARAM Brahma – installed at IISER Pune.
• PARAM Yukti – located at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru.
• PARAM Sanganak – operational at IIT Kanpur.
• PARAM Ganga – installed at IIT Roorkee in 2022, offering 1.66 petaflops of computing power.
• PARAM Ananta – set up at IIT Gandhinagar with a performance of 838 teraflops.

These facilities are connected through the National Knowledge Network (NKN), enabling researchers across the country to access shared computational resources.
In addition to deployment, the NSM has led to the development of indigenous hardware technologies, including interconnect systems such as Trinetra and AUM, and software suites for resource management, parallel programming, and system monitoring. The PARAM series, developed by C-DAC, has become synonymous with India’s supercomputing identity.

Indigenous Development and Technological Self-Reliance

One of the core goals of NSM is to achieve Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) in supercomputing. In the initial stages, systems relied heavily on imported processors and subsystems; however, through continuous research and collaboration, India has progressively moved toward indigenous solutions.
C-DAC and IISc have been instrumental in designing Rudra, India’s first indigenous HPC server, and Mihir, an HPC system developed for weather and climate research. These efforts are complemented by projects to develop indigenous microprocessors under the Microprocessor Development Programme (MDP), such as ‘SHAKTI’ by IIT Madras and ‘VEGA’ by C-DAC.
These processors are expected to be integrated into future HPC systems, marking a significant step towards full technological independence.

Applications and Impact

The supercomputing facilities established under the NSM have found applications across diverse scientific, industrial, and societal domains:

• Climate and Weather Modelling: Enhanced accuracy in monsoon prediction and climate forecasting, with systems like Mihir and Pratyush supporting the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
• Space and Aerospace Research: Used by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for mission simulations and spacecraft design.
• Healthcare and Bioinformatics: Applied in genomics, drug discovery, and molecular dynamics simulations for understanding diseases.
• Agricultural Research: Simulation models for crop patterns, soil conditions, and climate impact.
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Support for large-scale data processing and neural network training.
• Defence and Strategic Applications: Simulation-based analysis for materials, cryptography, and surveillance systems.

These applications have strengthened India’s scientific output, supported policy decisions, and improved efficiency in technological research.

Human Resource Development

A crucial aspect of the National Supercomputing Mission is the training and capacity-building component. Recognising the need for skilled professionals in HPC, the mission promotes the establishment of academic programmes, workshops, and certification courses in supercomputing and parallel programming.
C-DAC and IISc, in collaboration with academic partners, have developed a National Supercomputing Education and Research (NSER) framework to train students, researchers, and engineers. This initiative aims to create a large pool of HPC professionals capable of driving innovation and managing advanced computational facilities across the nation.

Challenges and Limitations

While NSM has made substantial progress, several challenges persist:

• Dependence on imported semiconductor technology, especially for processors and memory components, remains a major limitation.
• Delays in system deployment have occurred due to supply chain issues and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Sustainability and maintenance of high-end HPC facilities require continuous funding and skilled manpower.
• Global competition from nations with advanced supercomputing architectures, such as the United States, China, and Japan, poses technological and performance benchmarks that India aims to match.

Nevertheless, these challenges have driven the mission towards greater emphasis on indigenous research and long-term infrastructure planning.

Future Prospects

The future direction of the National Supercomputing Mission aligns with India’s broader technological and industrial goals. The mission’s extended roadmap includes:

• Achieving exascale computing capability (performing a billion billion calculations per second) by the early 2030s.
• Integration of quantum computing, AI-based acceleration, and cloud–HPC hybrid systems.
• Establishing a national grid of supercomputing resources accessible to researchers, startups, and industries.
• Strengthening domestic semiconductor manufacturing and processor design under the India Semiconductor Mission to support HPC hardware.

The ongoing emphasis on self-reliant design, indigenous fabrication, and public–private collaboration will ensure that India remains competitive in global supercomputing research and innovation.

Significance and Legacy

The National Supercomputing Mission has transformed India’s computational landscape. It has expanded research capacity, improved data-driven decision-making, and strengthened national resilience in strategic sectors. By building indigenous technologies and human expertise, NSM not only enhances India’s scientific capabilities but also contributes to economic growth through innovation and digital transformation.