PIB · Government of India ·

India’s Emerging Supercomputing Ecosystem Strengthens Indigenous High-Performance Computing Under National Supercomputing Mission

Distilled Policy Brief

  • Launched in April 2015 with an outlay of ₹4,500 crore, the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is jointly steered by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to establish a robust, indigenous High-Performance Computing (HPC) grid.
  • As of September 2026, the mission has successfully deployed 40 supercomputers achieving a cumulative computational capacity of 68 Petaflops (PF), with an ultimate target of installing 50 systems scaling beyond 123 PF across premier academic and research institutions.
  • The mission employs a structured three-phased 'Build Approach' (comprising Assembly, Manufacturing, and Design & Manufacturing) implemented by C-DAC Pune and IISc Bengaluru to foster complete self-reliance in servers, software, cooling, and networking technologies.

🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points

Key operational phases of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), its joint nodal ministries, implementing agencies (C-DAC and IISc), and computational speed metrics (Petaflops vs. Exaflops).

⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages

Evaluate how the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) acts as a force multiplier for India's scientific research, disaster management capabilities, and technological sovereignty.

🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill

Science & Technology

With reference to the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), consider the following statements: 1. It is jointly steered by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). 2. The mission employs a structured three-phased 'Build Approach' comprising Assembly, Manufacturing, and Design & Manufacturing. 3. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, are the key implementing agencies of the mission. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  • [A] 1 and 2 only
  • [B] 2 and 3 only
  • [C] 1 and 3 only
  • [D] 1, 2 and 3
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
✓ Correct Option: [D] 1, 2 and 3

All three statements are correct. The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), launched in 2015, is jointly steered by DST and MeitY. It is implemented by C-DAC Pune and IISc Bengaluru using a structured three-phased 'Build Approach' (Assembly, Manufacturing, and Design & Manufacturing) to foster complete self-reliance in high-performance computing technologies.

Tark High-Yield Question Bank ⚡ Practice Full Test in Testing Arena ↗

🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)

UPSC Prelims 2021

Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.

Forensic Anchor: Cabinet Allocation of Business Rules & NCAP Framework
Examiner Trap Takeaway: UPSC swapped Central Pollution Control Board role with State Pollution Control Boards for state-level monitoring.

📚 Static Syllabus & Constitutional Linkages

Parallel Processing and Supercomputing: Understanding computer architecture, the transition from sequential CPU processing to parallel processing nodes, and the physics of heat dissipation in high-density computing.
Floating Point Operations Per Second (FLOPS): Standard scientific units of computational speed (Teraflops, Petaflops, Exaflops) and their mathematical scales ($10^{12}$, $10^{15}$, $10^{18}$ respectively).