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21 Jul 2025
GS Paper 3
Science & Technology
Day 31: Evaluate the significance of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) in enhancing India’s computational capacity. What are its potential applications in science, technology, and defense? (150 words)
Approach:
- Begin with a brief introduction to the National Supercomputing Mission.
- In the body, evaluate NSM’s impact on computational infrastructure, give sector-wise applications (science, tech, defense), and highlight key achievements.
- Conclude with its strategic significance.
Introduction:
The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), launched in 2015, is a strategic initiative to develop indigenous High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure in India, fostering self-reliance in supercomputing and strengthening national capacities across sectors.
Body:
Enhancing India’s Computational Capacity:
- NSM has deployed 34 supercomputers with 35 PF total capacity across India by March 2025, ensuring high utilization (>85%) in academic and research domains.
- It promotes indigenous design and assembly, as seen in PARAM Rudra, built with the “Rudra” server and Indian software stack.
- The mission supports widespread access via National Knowledge Network (NKN), enabling even Tier-II and Tier-III institutions to use HPC.
- The phased approach (Phases I–III) ensures progressive indigenization, including hardware, software stack, and manufacturing of critical components.
- NSM is supported by training centres at IITs and research institutes, where 22,000+ individuals have been trained in HPC and AI.
Applications in Science and Technology
- Supercomputers aid in climate modeling, drug discovery, astronomical research, and energy systems, reducing research time from months to hours.
- Facilities like PARAM Pravega (IISc Bengaluru) have accelerated advanced simulation studies in fluid dynamics, materials research, and genomics.
- The AIRAWAT platform, a 200 PF AI supercomputer, enhances AI innovation, ranking 75th globally (ISC 2023).
- Over 1 crore compute jobs have been executed under NSM, leading to 1,500+ peer-reviewed publications, reflecting its scientific productivity.
Role in National Security and Defense
- NSM strengthens computational support for ballistic simulations, cryptography, and surveillance systems for DRDO and strategic agencies.
- Enables real-time modeling and AI-based predictive systems for threat detection and disaster management.
- Indigenous systems reduce dependency on foreign technology, ensuring data sovereignty and strategic autonomy.
Catalyzing Future Growth
- With ISM (India Semiconductor Mission), India aims to manufacture critical HPC components, making NSM fully self-reliant.
- Supercomputing fosters innovation among start-ups, MSMEs, and academia, driving digital transformation in R&D and industrial sectors.
Conclusion:
NSM is pivotal in transforming India into a technologically empowered, research-driven, and self-reliant nation. With its deep applications across science, technology, and defense, NSM is poised to make India a global leader in supercomputing and AI innovation.
