National Supercomputing Mission: Objectives, Milestones and Participating Institutes

The National Supercomputing Mission was launched in 2015 as a central sector scheme to empower academic and research institutions across India with high-performance computing capabilities. Jointly steered by the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the mission is implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune, and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. With an approved outlay of ₹4,500 crore, the project connects supercomputing facilities over the National Knowledge Network to solve complex scientific challenges.

Core Framework and Objectives of the Mission

Institutional Governance

The mission operates under a joint leadership structure involving two central departments and two premier execution agencies.

• Nodal Departments: Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• Implementing Agencies: Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune, and Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
• Network Infrastructure: High-speed data connectivity across institutions is provided by the National Knowledge Network.

Primary Objectives

The mission aims to build domestic computing capacity and create an interconnected national research grid.

• Establish a national supercomputing grid consisting of over 70 high-performance computing facilities.
• Attain self-reliance in designing, developing, and manufacturing supercomputing hardware within the country.
• Train workforce in High-Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence domains.
• Provide high-end computing access to academic researchers, government departments, startups, and MSMEs.

Phased Implementation Strategy

Phase 1: Assembly and Infrastructure Base

The first phase focused on setting up supercomputing facilities by assembling components imported from global manufacturers.

• Assembled six supercomputers at selected premier academic institutes.
• Installed PARAM Shivay at IIT-BHU as the first supercomputer under the mission in 2019.
• Reached a cumulative computing capacity of 6.6 Petaflops.

Phase 2: Local Manufacturing and Customization

The second phase shifted focus toward local manufacturing of motherboard units and system integration.

• Increased local value addition to 40 percent in computing hardware.
• Expanded the computing power across 14 additional premier institutions.
• Reached an aggregate national computing capacity of 16 Petaflops.

Phase 3: Complete Indigenous Design and Manufacturing

The third phase targets complete self-reliance in designing and building core hardware components.

• Designed domestic server nodes, interconnect systems, and software stacks.
• Aimed at scaling national computational capacity beyond 45 Petaflops.

Indigenous Technological Breakthroughs

Domestic Server and Hardware Components

Local research efforts produced key hardware components to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.

• Rudra Server: A domestically designed dual-socket server board based on x86 processor architecture developed by C-DAC.
• Trinetra Interconnect: High-speed communication hardware network that manages data transfer between individual computing nodes.
• System Software Stack: Open-source software suite tailored for parallel processing and supercomputer resource scheduling.

Major Supercomputer Deployments and Participating Institutes

Deployment Overview

Over 35 supercomputing systems with a total combined capacity exceeding 39 Petaflops have been installed across Indian research institutions.

Application Domains and Human Resource Development

Operational Scientific Applications

The deployed supercomputing grid processes data across multiple priority research sectors.

• Weather and Climate: Processing numerical weather prediction models and monsoon tracking systems.
• Drug Discovery and Health: Simulating molecular dynamics for vaccine creation and disease modeling.
• Astrophysics: Analyzing radio astronomy signals collected by the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope.
• Computational Fluid Dynamics: Designing aerodynamic profiles for aerospace and defence platforms.

Human Resource Training Centres

Five specialized training nodes operate to build technical capacity in High-Performance Computing.

• Dedicated nodal training centers operate at C-DAC Pune, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Palakkad, and IIT Goa.
• Over 27,000 researchers, engineers, and students have received specialized training in parallel programming and supercomputing operations.

Key Facts for Quick Revision

• The National Supercomputing Mission was launched in 2015 with a total financial outlay of ₹4,500 crore.
• DST and MeitY jointly steer the mission, while C-DAC Pune and IISc Bengaluru serve as the main executing agencies.
• All deployed supercomputers connect to the high-speed National Knowledge Network.
• PARAM 8000 was India’s first supercomputer, developed indigenously by C-DAC in 1991.
• PARAM Shivay, installed at IIT-BHU in 2019, was the first supercomputer deployed under the National Supercomputing Mission.
• PARAM Pravega at IISc Bengaluru stands among the most powerful academic supercomputers in India, with a capacity of 3.3 Petaflops.
• Rudra is the indigenous server unit developed by C-DAC for building local supercomputing hardware.
• Trinetra serves as the indigenous high-speed interconnect system used for data exchange between computing nodes.
• Three PARAM Rudra systems were commissioned in 2024 at IUAC New Delhi, NCRA Pune, and S.N. Bose Centre Kolkata.
• Five HPC nodal training centers operate at C-DAC Pune, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Palakkad, and IIT Goa.