National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)
Background and Purpose
- Launched in 2015, this mission seeks to build an indigenous supercomputing ecosystem in India.
- The broader aim is to empower academic and R&D institutions by giving them access to high-performance computing (HPC) facilities.
- These supercomputers are not stand-alone. They are being connected into a National Supercomputing Grid using the National Knowledge Network (NKN) – a high-speed network that already connects universities and research labs.
Purpose:
➡️ To accelerate research and development in multidisciplinary domains like science, engineering, environment, and medicine.
Inter-ministerial Initiative
The mission is a joint effort of:
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
- Department of Science and Technology (DST)
This collaboration combines expertise in technology and research.
Implementing Agencies
- Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore
These two agencies are responsible for designing, developing, and deploying the supercomputers.
Objective and Targets
- To build and deploy 24 facilities with a cumulative computing power of more than 64 Petaflops.
- A Petaflop is a measure of computing speed (we’ll discuss FLOPS shortly).
Key Pillars of NSM
The mission rests on four pillars:
- Infrastructure – building indigenous servers, storage, and networks.
- Applications – developing software for real-world scientific and industrial use.
- R&D – research in supercomputing technologies.
- HRD (Human Resource Development) – training manpower in high-performance computing.
Indigenous Development
- C-DAC has already designed and developed:
- A computer server “Rudra”
- A high-speed interconnect “Trinetra”
These are the critical sub-assemblies required for building supercomputers.
This reduces reliance on foreign imports and supports the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” vision.
Applications of NSM
The supercomputers under NSM are being used for large-scale applications such as:
- Genomics and Drug Discovery – useful for healthcare and tackling pandemics.
- Urban Modelling – addressing environmental issues like air quality, hydrology, meteorology.
- Flood Early Warning and Prediction – crucial for disaster management in Indian river basins.
- Seismic Imaging – supporting oil and gas exploration.
- Telecom Network Optimization (MPPLAB).
Thus, NSM has both scientific and developmental utility.
About FLOPS (Floating Point Operations Per Second)
FLOPS is the benchmark for measuring supercomputer speed:
- MegaFLOPS = 1 million FLOPS
- GigaFLOPS = 1 billion FLOPS
- TeraFLOPS = 1 trillion FLOPS
- PetaFLOPS = 1 quadrillion (10^15) FLOPS
➡️ The NSM target is more than 64 Petaflops of computing power.
Historical Note
- India’s first indigenous supercomputer was PARAM 8000 (developed in 1991 by C-DAC).
- The NSM continues this legacy by building more advanced, indigenous systems.
Significance of NSM
- Enhances India’s research capacity across domains.
- Reduces dependency on foreign technology for strategic areas like defence, weather forecasting, space research, healthcare, and energy exploration.
- Creates an ecosystem of skilled manpower in high-performance computing.
Conclusion
The National Supercomputing Mission is not just about building faster computers. It is about creating a self-reliant, interconnected, and research-driven ecosystem that supports India’s growth in science, technology, and innovation.
In simple words, NSM = Indigenous Supercomputers + Research Applications + National Grid + Human Resource Development.