UPSC Current Affairs October 5th 2026

Why in News?

• As of September 2026, India had deployed 40 supercomputers with a combined computing capacity of 68 petaFLOPS under the National Supercomputing Mission.
• India is also preparing to host ESTIC-2026, which will cover supercomputing and other emerging technologies while promoting the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

What is a Supercomputer?

A supercomputer is a high-performance computing system designed to process large datasets and perform complex calculations at exceptionally high speeds.

• Multiple processors: It combines several processors or computing nodes that work simultaneously.
• Parallel processing: Multiple processors jointly work on a single complex calculation, reducing the time required to solve it.
• High-speed connections: Computing nodes exchange data through high-speed interconnection networks.
• Major uses: Supercomputers are used in weather forecasting, climate modelling, healthcare, space research, engineering, artificial intelligence and scientific simulations.

How is Computing Power Measured?

The performance of a supercomputer is measured in FLOPS—Floating Point Operations Per Second.

• One teraFLOPS: One trillion calculations per second.
• One petaFLOPS: One quadrillion calculations per second.
• One exaFLOPS: One quintillion calculations per second.
• The world’s fastest supercomputer in 2026 operates at approximately 2.19 exaFLOPS.

Why Does India Need Supercomputing Capabilities?

• Growing data economy: India generates nearly 20% of the world’s data, creating demand for advanced computing infrastructure.
• Complex scientific research: Climate, space, medicine and engineering require large-scale simulations that ordinary computers cannot perform efficiently.
• Artificial intelligence: AI, machine learning and generative AI require high computing capacity to train and operate advanced models.
• Disaster management: Supercomputers can support flood prediction, forest-fire modelling and extreme-weather forecasting.
• Healthcare applications: They accelerate genomics research, disease tracking and drug discovery.
• Agricultural planning: High-performance computing can support crop-yield estimation and climate-based agricultural decisions.
• Technological sovereignty: Indigenous computing infrastructure reduces dependence on imported hardware and software.
• Evidence-based governance: Fast data processing enables government agencies to make timely and informed decisions.

What is the National Supercomputing Mission?

The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) was launched in April 2015 to establish a nationally distributed and technologically self-reliant supercomputing ecosystem.

Key Features

• Financial outlay: Approximately ₹4,500 crore.
• Jointly steered by:
  • Department of Science and Technology
  • Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
• Implementing institutions:
  • Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune
  • Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
• Target: Establish 50 supercomputers with a combined capacity exceeding 123 petaFLOPS across Indian academic and research institutions.
• Objectives: Develop indigenous supercomputers, expand access to HPC, promote scientific research and create solutions for national and societal needs.

NSM’s Build Approach

The Mission follows a three-stage indigenous-development strategy:

• Assembly: Assemble supercomputing systems within India.
• Manufacturing: Increase domestic production of important hardware components.
• Design and manufacturing: Develop complete indigenous capabilities in system design, hardware, software, networking and cooling.

How has India’s Supercomputing Programme Evolved?

PARAM 8000

• PARAM 8000, developed by C-DAC, was unveiled in 1991.
• It operated at a speed of one gigaflop.
• It marked India’s entry into indigenous supercomputing and laid the foundation for the PARAM series.

PARAM Yuva

• PARAM Yuva achieved a computing capacity of 54 teraFLOPS.
• It supported applications such as weather forecasting and computational fluid dynamics.

Present Capacity under NSM

As of September 2026, India had commissioned:

• 40 supercomputers with a combined capacity of 68 petaFLOPS;
• 13 high-end systems with capacities above 1 petaFLOPS;
• 12 mid-range systems with capacities between 500 teraFLOPS and 1 petaFLOPS; and
• 15 systems with capacities below 500 teraFLOPS.

These systems were locally built and installed across academic and research institutions.

What are the National Applications of Supercomputing?

Genomics and Drug Discovery

• The platform studies large molecular datasets to identify and test potential medicines.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was used to screen existing drugs and predict possible side effects, including heart-related risks.

Urban Environment Decision Support System

• It combines detailed weather and air-pollution models.
• It helps cities forecast heavy rainfall and pollution episodes and take preventive measures.

Flood Early-Warning System

• It uses data analysis and predictive models to forecast floods up to two days in advance.
• It is being applied in the Mahanadi River basin to protect communities and infrastructure.

Forest-Fire Spread Model

• It combines satellite remote-sensing data with computational models to predict the spread of forest fires.
• It has been tested in regions such as the Sikkim Himalayas.

Seismic Imaging Suite

• It uses advanced algorithms to map underground structures.
• It supports oil and gas exploration and performs at a level comparable with commercial seismic-imaging tools.

Materials Science and Computational Chemistry

• It enables the simulation of atoms, molecules and alloys.
• Researchers can study their properties and behaviour without depending entirely on physical experiments.

Support to Government Institutions

HPC applications developed under NSM support institutions such as:

• India Meteorological Department
• Central Water Commission
• Central Pollution Control Board
• Ministry of AYUSH

What Indigenous Technologies have been Developed under NSM?

Rudra Series of Servers

• Rudra servers were designed and developed indigenously by C-DAC.
• They provide processing power for complex simulations, calculations and AI workloads.
• Their technology has been transferred to Indian Electronics Manufacturing Services partners for domestic production.

PARAM Rudra Supercomputers

• PARAM Rudra systems use indigenous Rudra servers and an Indian system-software stack.
• They support astronomy, material science, atomic physics and earth-science research.
• By September 2026, approximately 6,000 Rudra servers had been deployed, while another 1,500 servers were under production.

High-Speed Interconnect Network

• Indigenous networks operating at 100 Gbps and 200 Gbps have been developed and tested.
• They enable faster communication and data transfer between computing nodes.

Indigenous Cooling Technology

• India has developed and demonstrated indigenous cooling systems for high-performance computers.
• These systems maintain operating temperatures and improve energy efficiency.

HPC System Software

• A complete indigenous HPC software stack has been developed.
• It supports the operation, integration and management of supercomputing systems.

PARAM Shavak

• PARAM Shavak is a domestically designed and manufactured “supercomputing-in-a-box” system.
• It serves the HPC and AI requirements of students and researchers in engineering colleges and universities.

How is NSM Building a Skilled Workforce?

As of September 2026, infrastructure created under NSM had:

• supported more than 16,000 researchers;
• included over 2,900 PhD scholars;
• connected researchers from more than 400 institutions;
• executed over 1.5 crore compute jobs; and
• contributed to more than 1,990 research publications.

Capacity-Building Initiatives

• HPC and Deep Learning Awareness Programmes: Introduce students, researchers and faculty to advanced computing.
• Hackathons and Bootcamps: Provide practical experience in HPC, AI and generative AI.
• Faculty Development Programmes: Train teachers in HPC, AI, machine learning and deep learning in collaboration with AICTE.
• EduHPC Workshop: Offers annual training to faculty from institutions across India.
• SWAYAM Course: The High-Performance Scientific Computing course under NPTEL provides a structured foundation in HPC.
• HPC Shiksha Portal: Provides lectures, learning materials and access to computing resources.
• NSM Users Forum: Enables users to resolve technical problems and share knowledge and good practices.

What is the Role of the National Knowledge Network?

The National Knowledge Network serves as the communication backbone of the National Supercomputing Mission.

• It connects supercomputing facilities across academic and research institutions.
• It allows researchers to access computing resources beyond their own institutions.
• It supports collaborative research across geographical boundaries.
• It enables the sharing of computing power, scientific knowledge and research capabilities.

What is ESTIC-2026?

• Full name: Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave.
• Edition: Second.
• Dates: 27–29 October 2026.
• Venue: Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
• Theme: “Creative Minds, Catalyzing Science, Empowering Technologies.”
• Organiser: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
• It will cover 12 thematic areas, including supercomputing and other emerging technologies.
• The conclave will promote scientific collaboration and support the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

What is the Significance of the National Supercomputing Mission?

• Scientific self-reliance: Indigenous servers, software, networks and cooling systems reduce dependence on imported technology.
• Democratisation of research: Distributed infrastructure gives universities and research institutions wider access to advanced computing.
• Public-service delivery: HPC applications strengthen weather prediction, pollution monitoring and disaster preparedness.
• Healthcare advancement: Genomics and computational platforms accelerate drug discovery and disease research.
• Energy and resource security: Seismic imaging supports oil and gas exploration.
• Human-capital development: Training initiatives build a workforce skilled in HPC, AI and deep learning.
• Innovation ecosystem: The Mission promotes cooperation among government, academia, industry and research institutions.
• Sustainable development: NSM contributes to 11 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through applications in climate action, education, innovation and economic growth.
• Digital sovereignty: Control over critical computing infrastructure strengthens national technological and strategic security.

Concerns

• Capacity gap: India had achieved 68 petaFLOPS against the Mission’s target of more than 123 petaFLOPS by September 2026.
• Rapid technological change: Supercomputing systems can become outdated quickly, requiring continuous research and upgrading.
• Energy requirements: High-performance computing requires substantial power and efficient cooling systems.
• Skilled workforce: Wider deployment must be supported by trained researchers, engineers and faculty members.
• Institutional access: Research institutions must possess adequate connectivity and technical capacity to use HPC resources effectively.
• Hardware and software capability: India must deepen domestic design and manufacturing across the complete computing value chain.
• Research translation: Scientific computing should produce practical solutions for agriculture, health, climate, energy and governance.

Way Forward

• Complete NSM targets: Accelerate the establishment of the remaining systems and achieve the planned capacity of over 123 petaFLOPS.
• Develop advanced systems: Focus on faster, reliable and energy-efficient computing technologies.
• Strengthen indigenisation: Expand domestic capabilities in processors, servers, interconnects, cooling and software.
• Integrate AI and HPC: Combine supercomputing with AI to address complex problems in healthcare, agriculture and climate science.
• Expand institutional access: Make computing facilities more accessible to universities, startups, researchers and industry.
• Build human resources: Scale up courses, faculty training, hackathons and practical learning programmes.
• Promote collaboration: Strengthen partnerships among government, academia, industry, startups and research organisations.
• Prioritise societal applications: Direct computing resources towards disaster management, drug discovery, environmental protection and sustainable development.

Conclusion

The National Supercomputing Mission has transformed India from a user of imported computing systems into an emerging developer of indigenous supercomputing technologies. Its achievements in infrastructure, software, networking, applications and skill development strengthen India’s scientific and digital sovereignty. Completing the Mission’s capacity targets and integrating HPC with artificial intelligence can help convert advanced computing into practical solutions for national development. This will contribute to Aatmanirbhar Bharat and the wider vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.