The Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology are expanding India’s high-performance computing infrastructure through the National Supercomputing Mission, launched in 2015. As of September 2026, the Mission has deployed 40 supercomputers with a combined computational capacity of 68 petaflops (PF), including 13 high-end systems exceeding 1 petaflop each.
Key facts
- NSM launched in April 2015 with an outlay of approximately ₹4,500 crore
- 40 supercomputers deployed as of September 2026 with 68 PF combined capacity
- 13 high-end systems exceeding 1 PF, 12 mid-range systems between 500 TF and 1 PF, 15 systems below 500 TF
- 6,000 Rudra servers deployed, with 1,500 more under manufacturing
- Over 16,000 researchers supported across 400 institutions, including 2,900 PhD scholars
- More than 1.5 crore compute jobs executed and over 1,990 research publications produced
- Plan to establish 50 supercomputers totalling over 123 PF capacity
- Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) Pune and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru implementing the Mission
What the Mission does
Supercomputers process enormous quantities of data at speeds measured in petaflops—quadrillions of calculations per second. They use multiple processors working simultaneously to solve problems impossible for ordinary computers. The NSM aims to build India’s indigenous supercomputing capacity and reduce dependence on imported technologies while supporting research across climate modelling, drug discovery, flood prediction, astrophysics and materials science.
Indigenous technology developed under NSM
The Mission has created complete domestic capabilities across multiple components. The Rudra series of servers, designed and manufactured in India by C-DAC and electronics manufacturing partners, provides the core processing power. India has also developed high-speed interconnect networks operating at 100 and 200 gigabits per second to link computing nodes, indigenous cooling technology for system efficiency, and a full HPC software stack for system operation and management. PARAM Shavak, a supercomputing-in-a-box system, has been designed, developed and manufactured domestically for engineering colleges and universities.
National applications supporting the public
Supercomputers under NSM support practical applications addressing Indian challenges. The Genomics and Drug Discovery Platform screens molecules for medical research and was used during COVID-19 to identify potential treatments. The Urban Environment Decision Support System predicts heavy rain and air pollution for city preparedness. An early warning system for flood prediction provides forecasts up to 2 days in advance for river basins like the Mahanadi. The Forest Fire Spread Model uses satellite data and computational models to predict how fires will spread in regions like the Sikkim Himalayas. These systems also support the India Meteorological Department, Central Water Commission and Central Pollution Control Board.
Building India’s skilled workforce
The Mission is training researchers and students to use these advanced systems effectively. NSM has supported over 16,000 researchers across more than 400 institutions. The Mission conducts awareness programmes, hackathons and bootcamps in HPC and deep learning, faculty development courses through the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and an annual EduHPC workshop. A structured course on the SWAYAM platform under the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) provides foundational HPC training, while the HPC Shiksha Portal offers resources, recorded lectures and practical experience access.
How this connects to India’s self-reliance goals
The Mission follows a “Build approach” with three concurrent phases: assembly, manufacturing, and design and manufacturing support. This strategy expands computing infrastructure while developing indigenous capabilities. By creating supercomputers, servers, software and networking components within India, NSM reduces dependence on foreign technology and strengthens the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision. The Mission contributes to 11 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through applications in climate action, education, innovation and economic growth.
What this means for you
Researchers and PhD scholars gain access to advanced computing for scientific work. Students in engineering colleges can use PARAM Shavak systems for learning. The public benefits from improved flood predictions, better pollution monitoring and faster drug discovery. Government departments receive better decision-support tools for climate and disaster management. India’s technology sector gains access to world-class computing infrastructure and indigenous expertise without foreign dependency.
What happens next
NSM plans to establish a total of 50 supercomputers with combined capacity exceeding 123 PF across academic and research institutions. The Mission will continue expanding training programmes, deploying additional Rudra servers, and developing new applications for national challenges.