Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated three newly installed supercomputers to the nation on Thursday, with the systems aimed at enhancing research in astronomy, medicine, and high-energy physics. The supercomputers, set up at leading scientific institutions in Delhi, Pune, and Kolkata, mark a significant boost in India’s scientific and technological capabilities.
Speaking on the occasion, PM Modi emphasized the importance of technological advancements for India’s scientific community. “This is a landmark day for India’s science and technology. These High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems will provide cutting-edge facilities to our scientists and support research in fields ranging from physics and cosmology to earth sciences,” he stated.
In addition to these supercomputers, the computing power dedicated to weather and climate research has seen a major upgrade with the installation of HPC systems at two atmospheric sciences institutes—one in Pune and the other in Noida. These systems significantly enhance research capacity for climate and weather prediction.
The new HPC systems for climate sciences, valued at ₹850 crores, have increased the computing power of the Ministry of Earth Sciences from 6.8 PetaFlops five years ago to a remarkable 22 PetaFlops. This marks the highest computing capacity ever achieved by the ministry.
Developed under the National Supercomputing Mission, the three supercomputers—indigenously built PARAM Rudra systems—were installed at a combined cost of around ₹130 crores. One is located at the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) near Pune, a globally renowned facility for radio astronomy. The other two systems were installed at the Inter-University Accelerator Centre (IUAC) in Delhi and the S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences in Kolkata, key players in high-energy physics research.
Prime Minister Modi was originally scheduled to visit Pune to inaugurate the HPC systems. However, his trip was canceled due to adverse weather conditions and heavy rainfall.
Among the newly-launched systems, the most powerful is the one at IUAC, boasting a computing capacity of 3 PetaFlops. GMRT has a 1 PetaFlop supercomputer, while the S N Bose Institute system offers a capacity of 838 TeraFlops.
Additionally, the newly installed Arka system at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune provides a capacity of 11.77 PetaFlops, improving the country’s global weather prediction model’s horizontal resolution from 12 km to 6 km. Another system, Arunika, with a capacity of 8.24 PetaFlops, will upgrade weather forecasts at the block level, further strengthening India’s climate and weather research capabilities.
These developments reflect India’s commitment to advancing its scientific infrastructure, enabling critical research in both fundamental and applied sciences.
