- Why in news
- On 4 October 2026, PIB published a explainer on India's supercomputing ecosystem under the National Supercomputing Mission: 40 systems, 68 PF as of September 2026.
- What it is
- The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) was launched in 2015 to build a network of supercomputers in Indian academic and research institutions. It follows a 'Build approach' to create indigenous capability in servers, software, networking and cooling. It is steered by DST and MeitY and implemented by C-DAC and IISc.
- Who steers and implements
- DST and MeitY jointly steer the Mission. C-DAC Pune and IISc Bengaluru implement it.
- Build approach
- Three concurrent phases: assembly, manufacturing, and design and manufacturing support.
- Planned capacity
- NSM plans 50 supercomputers with cumulative capacity above 123 PF.
- Indigenous servers
- Rudra servers were designed by C-DAC and used in PARAM Rudra supercomputers; 6,000 had been deployed as of September 2026.
- Network backbone
- The National Knowledge Network connects supercomputing facilities across institutions.
Don’t confuse with TeraFLOPS vs petaFLOPS vs exaFLOPS: Tera is 10^12, peta is 10^15, exa is 10^18 calculations per second.
Don’t confuse with PARAM Rudra vs PARAM Shavak: PARAM Rudra are full supercomputers built on Rudra servers; PARAM Shavak is a small desktop-style system for colleges.
Science and technology: 57 Prelims questions since 2013; most test the concept behind the news, not the news itself. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.
Why it matters
- Builds self-reliance in servers, software, networking and cooling, cutting dependence on imports.
- Supports flood prediction, weather and climate modelling, drug discovery and disaster management.
Problems
- Total capacity of 68 PF is far below the world's fastest systems at about 2.19 exaflops.
- Power use, cooling and a shortage of skilled users limit expansion.
Way forward
- Expand capacity towards 50 systems and 123 PF, with energy-efficient indigenous hardware.
- Integrate AI with HPC and widen access for academia, industry and startups.
Put in your answer
NSM scale: 40 supercomputers with 68 PF were deployed as of September 2026.
Flood early warning: A flood prediction system forecasts up to 2 days ahead and is used in the Mahanadi basin.
User base: NSM infrastructure supported over 16,000 researchers across over 400 institutions.
- 2019Mains GS2 · Q8Factors hindering ICT project implementation and measures to ensure effective implementation
- 2004Prelims Q48What is Param Padam, a supercomputer developed by India
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Statements
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements:
- 1.The National Supercomputing Mission is jointly steered by the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
- 2.The Mission is implemented by C-DAC, Pune and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
- 3.The Mission was launched in 2015 with an outlay of about ₹45,000 crore.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
True or false?
1 of 6
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.The National Supercomputing Mission is jointly steered by the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
True. DST and MeitY jointly steer NSM.
2.The Mission is implemented by C-DAC, Pune and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
True. C-DAC Pune and IISc Bengaluru implement NSM.
3.The Mission follows a 'Build approach' with three concurrent phases: assembly, manufacturing, and design and manufacturing support.
True. The three phases are assembly, manufacturing, and design and manufacturing support.
4.One petaFLOPS equals one trillion calculations per second.
False. One petaFLOPS is one quadrillion calculations per second; one teraFLOPS is one trillion.
5.Supercomputers are sometimes called parallel computers because they can use many CPUs simultaneously on a single calculation.
True. Parallel processing means multiple CPUs work on one calculation at a time.
6.PARAM Shavak is a large national-scale supercomputer designed mainly for the India Meteorological Department.
False. PARAM Shavak is a supercomputing-in-a-box for students and researchers in engineering colleges and universities.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.