India Unveils Param Shakti: Groundbreaking Supercomputer To Fuel National Research Ambitions

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched Param Shakti, a state-of-the-art indigenous 3.1 petaflop supercomputing facility at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. This cutting-edge computing infrastructure aims to bolster India’s research capacity in high-performance computing and advance the nation’s position on the global computational landscape.

Param Shakti hosts the PARAM Rudra supercomputing system, designed and implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC). The system has been funded through the National Supercomputing Mission, a joint initiative between MeitY and the science and technology department. This mission promotes high-performance computing in India and supports advanced research across various disciplines.

The PARAM Rudra system boasts an impressive computational power of 3.1 petaflops, translating to over 3.1 quadrillion calculations per second. This remarkable performance places it among the most powerful computing systems in Indian academia, underscoring its potential to drive groundbreaking research and innovation.

One primary objective of Param Shakti is to support advanced research across various fields, including aerospace, materials science, climate modeling, drug discovery, and manufacturing. By providing researchers with access to this powerful computing resource, MeitY aims to accelerate experimentation timelines and enable complex simulations at scale.

The 3.1 petaflop system can perform an astonishing number of calculations per second, making it an invaluable asset for researchers working on high-performance projects. With Param Shakti, Indian researchers can now tackle complex computational problems that were previously unsolvable or required significant resources to solve.

IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti emphasized the significance of government-led computing initiatives like the National Knowledge Network (NKN), which connects centrally funded academic institutions across India. He stressed the importance of energy-efficient programming and effective sharing of GPU resources, highlighting the need for researchers to adopt best practices in high-performance computing.

MeitY Secretary S Krishnan highlighted the role that Param Shakti would play in fostering an interdisciplinary research culture at IIT Madras. “It is encouraging to see faculty and researchers from diverse departments coming together to use this facility and contribute meaningfully in their respective domains,” he said.

Krishnan also discussed India’s expanding supercomputing footprint, with 37 supercomputers already installed across institutions nationwide and more in the pipeline. The launch of Param Shakti marks an important milestone in this journey, solidifying India’s position as a major player in the global computational landscape.

The PARAM Rudra system has been built entirely in India using C-DAC’s Rudra series servers and runs on open-source software, including AlmaLinux and an indigenous system software stack. MeitY has emphasized the importance of domestic production and self-reliance in critical computing infrastructure, aligning with India’s push for Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Krishnan linked Param Shakti to the broader IndiaAI Mission, a strategic initiative aimed at promoting Indian innovation and technological advancements. By enabling access to multiple GPU architectures, the government is facilitating research innovators, scientists, and researchers to gain broad exposure and develop the capability to master diverse platforms.

C-DAC Director General E Magesh outlined the development of the Rudra platform, encouraging researchers to adopt indigenous high-performance computing systems. He stressed the importance of wider adoption, critical in building long-term capabilities in advanced computing.

Param Shakti has already demonstrated strong demand from researchers, with utilization rates exceeding 80% since its operational launch. The data centre operates at an impressive power usage effectiveness of 1.2-1.4, reflecting a commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability.

MeitY views the launch of Param Shakti as a crucial step towards the National Supercomputing Mission’s next phase, with India’s total computing capacity expected to approach exascale levels in the coming years. This ambitious goal underscores the government’s commitment to promoting high-performance computing in India and supporting the nation’s position on the global computational stage.

The launch of Param Shakti marks a significant milestone in India’s journey towards becoming a major player in high-performance computing. By providing researchers with access to cutting-edge computing infrastructure, MeitY is empowering Indian innovators to tackle complex computational problems and drive groundbreaking research across various disciplines.