Mains Marathon

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.