National Supercomputing Mission

Why in News?

Recently, Three PARAM Rudra supercomputers worth Rs 130 crore have been inaugurated.

What is a supercomputer?

• Supercomputer - It is a large computing system specifically designed to solve complex, scientific and industrial challenges, which tend to be time-consuming and computation-intensive.
• Floating-Point Operations per Second (FLOPs) - It is a measure of   high-performance computing capability such as processing power, efficiency.
• Floating-point operations are a certain kind of mathematical calculation using real numbers with fractional parts.
• A petaflop is thus equal to a thousand TFLOPs or 1015 FLOPs.
• Physical Size - They take up a large room worth of space in the form of multiple rows with racks holding computer nodes with many cores.
• High Performance Computing (HPC) system - It is made up of several such supercomputers put together.
• New HPC Systems named ‘Arka’ and ‘Arunika’ were deployed at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) at Pune and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) at Noida.
• HPC applications – They will be developed and deployed in areas of
  • Computational biology
  • Climate modelling, weather prediction
  • Engineering including CFD, CSM, CEM
  • Disaster simulations and management
  • Computational chemistry and material science
  • Discoveries beyond Earth (Astrophysics)
  • Big data Analytics

Giant Metre Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune will leverage the supercomputer to explore Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and other astronomical phenomena.

What is National Supercomputing Mission?

• Aim –To enhance the capabilities of Indian academic and R&D institutions by setting up a network of over 70 high-performance computing (HPC) facilities across the country.
• To boost India’s supercomputing infrastructure amid increasing demand in sectors such as academia, researchers, MSMEs, and startups.
• It is a first of its kind attempt to boost the country’s computing power.
• Launched in – 2015.
• Developed by - It is a collaboration between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• Implemented by - The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
• Network - These supercomputers will also be networked on the National Supercomputing grid over the National Knowledge Network (NKN).
  • The NKN is another programme of the government which connects academic institutions and R&D labs over a high-speed network.
• Academic and R&D institutions as well as key user departments/ministries would participate by using these facilities and develop applications of national relevance.
• Under the mission, the first indigenously assembled supercomputer, named PARAM Shivay, was installed at IIT (BHU) in 2019.
• Human Resource Training - To train personnel in high performance computational skills, dedicated learning centres with PARAM Vidya were established.
• R&D systems - The SANGAM Testbed, PARAM Shrestha, PARAM Embryo, PARAM Neel, PARAM Spoorthi, PARAM Sampooran, are presently operational.

What are the significances of the mission?

• Indigenization - The NSM has enabled indigenizing supercomputing technology in India.
• Increased computational capability - NSM has increased the computational capability for India as a whole.
• Since the launch of the programme, more than 20 supercomputing systems have been deployed nationwide.
• Self-reliance - Attain global competitiveness and ensure self-reliance in the strategic area of supercomputing technology.
• Human Resource Development - The Mission consists of development of highly professional and skilled human resource for meeting the challenges of development of these applications.
• Improved Weather Forecasts – The HPC systems tailored for weather and climate research will enhance the accuracy and lead time of predictions related to tropical cyclones, heat waves, droughts, and other critical weather phenomena.
• Research Advancement - It will help advance research in fields ranging from physics and cosmology to earth sciences.

What are the challenges?

• Incomplete utilization of funds – The funds allocated to the National Supercomputing Mission in India has not been used fully leaving vast resources unused.
• Delays in Procurement -The lengthy procurement procedures of supercomputers and the attached infrastructure.
• Skill Shortages - Lack of experts and trained personnels in HPC programming, system administration, data science, and others.
• Inadequate Private sector participation – Due to the high cost and long-term nature of the projects, Indian private sectors are hesitant to invest in the technology.
• Technological Dependency - India's reliance on foreign suppliers for crucial components like processors and memory chips makes it vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and potential technology restrictions.
• Power Supply - Ensuring a reliable and uninterrupted power supply for high-performance computing centers is crucial.
• Cooling Systems - The massive heat generated by supercomputers requires efficient cooling systems, which can be expensive and energy-intensive.
• Cybersecurity Threats - Supercomputing centers are potential targets for cyberattacks, and protecting them requires advanced cybersecurity measures.

What lies ahead?

• Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach.
• Encourage private investments in research and development through public private partnerships and other partnership models.
• Conduct talent development programs in partnership with international organizations.
• Strengthen focus on cybersecurity in the domain of supercomputers
• By overcoming these hurdles, India can position itself as a global leader in supercomputing and leverage this technology for scientific advancement and economic growth.

References

1. The Indian Express | National Supercomputing Mission
2. The Hindu | PARAM Rudra