The Indian government launched the second phase of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), which is projected to be completed by September 2021. The government’s ambitious initiative is set to boost India’s computational capacity to a whopping 16 Petaflops, propelling the nation into the future of high-performance computing.
Overview of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)
First announced in 2015, NSM was aimed at creating a network of over 70 high-performance computing facilities. Funded with an estimated ₹4,500 crores, these facilities will be built over a period of seven years, culminating in 2022. This initiative upholds the government’s ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’ visions by bolstering national computational prowess.
Execution of the Mission
Spearheaded jointly by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST – Ministry of Science and Technology), the NSM is implemented by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
Features of the NSM
A prominent objective of the NSM is to amplify India’s possession of supercomputers. These supercomputers are interlinked on the National Supercomputing grid via the National Knowledge Network (NKN). NKN is responsible for connecting academic institutions and R&D labs via a high-speed network. Under the NSM, there is also a plan to cultivate a skilled workforce of 20,000 over the next five years to handle these advanced systems.
National Supercomputing Mission: Progress So Far
During the first phase of the NSM, supercomputers such as PARAM Shivay, PARAM Shakti, PARAM Brahma, PARAM Yukti and PARAM Sanganak were deployed at reputed Indian institutes. The supercomputer, PARAM-Siddhi AI, developed under the NSM, ranks 63rd in the world’s top 500 most potent supercomputers.
Recent Developments
In October 2020, C-DAC made collaborations with some premier institutions for installing High Power Computing (HPC) systems in each of these organizations. Up to this point, more than 4,500 individuals have been trained in HPC. Further training in Artificial Intelligence will take place at special NSM nodal centres located at four IITs — Kharagpur, Madras, Goa and Palakkad.
The Challenges Faced by NSM
The ambitious project of establishing a network of 70 high-performance computing facilities has faced setbacks. Initial years saw a disproportionate allocation of funds, slowing down the overall progress. A meager 16.67% of the total budget, which is ₹4,500 crore, was utilized during the first four-and-a-half years of executing the mission.
The Global Scenario
In the global race for supercomputing supremacy, China maintains the lead with the highest quantity of supercomputers, followed by countries such as the US, Japan, France, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, with the completion of the NSM’s second phase, India is poised to make its mark in the global supercomputing arena.
