Daily Mains Answer Writing – 25 September 2025

Model Answer

Introduction

Supercomputers, designed for parallel computing, are indispensable for high-end tasks such as weather forecasting, nuclear simulations, and artificial intelligence. India’s supercomputing journey, initiated in the late 1980s with the PARAM series, has evolved into a structured policy framework through the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) launched in 2015. While substantial progress has been made, global competitiveness and sustainability remain pressing concerns.

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Progress Achieved under NSM

Deployment of 37 supercomputers with a combined capacity of 40 petaflops across premier institutions.
Development of indigenous hardware and software, including the Rudra server and AUM high-performance computing nodes.
Flagship systems like AIRAWAT-PSAI, Pratyush, and Mihir are being used in fields such as climate modelling, molecular dynamics, nanotechnology, and defence simulations.
Supercomputers are now distributed across IITs, IISc, IISERs, and specialised institutions, enhancing research reach.

Challenges of Global Competitiveness

In the TOP500 rankings (Nov 2024), India has six systems, with the fastest (AIRAWAT-PSAI) ranked 136th, slipping from 75th in 2023.
Global leaders like the US and China operate exascale machines (e.g., El Capitan at 1,742 PF), far ahead of India’s 40 PF total capacity.
Power consumption and cooling requirements remain technological and financial challenges.
Limited scale of investment compared to global leaders has constrained India’s climb in rankings.

Strategic Importance

Critical for monsoon and climate modelling, vital for India’s agriculture-based economy.
Supports drug discovery, nanotechnology, AI training, and defence simulations, strengthening technological sovereignty.
Reduces dependence on foreign exports, aligning with strategic autonomy in science and technology.

Conclusion

India’s NSM has created a robust foundation, shifting the country from negligible presence in global rankings to a modest but consistent position. However, without moving towards exascale and hybrid computing paradigms, India risks lagging in future competitiveness. The emphasis on indigenisation is strategically sound, but it must be matched by scaling up investments, strengthening collaborations, and ensuring global benchmarking to make India a true leader in supercomputing.

Model Answer

Introduction

Supercomputers, through their vast parallel computing capabilities, act as infrastructure for discovery much like telescopes or accelerators. They enable collective research by simulating phenomena beyond the reach of conventional machines.

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Contribution to Scientific Research

India uses Pratyush and Mihir for weather and monsoon forecasting, vital for agriculture.
Supercomputers assist in long-term modelling of the Himalayas and Indian Ocean, crucial for disaster risk reduction.
They drive molecular dynamics, nanotechnology, drug discovery, black hole simulations, gravitational wave studies, and AI training.
Their structured operation — nodes, processors, high-speed networks, and petabyte storage — allows computation at scales comparable to top scientific instruments.

Role in National Security

Facilitate nuclear reaction simulations and defence scenario modelling.
Support cybersecurity and cryptographic applications, reducing strategic vulnerabilities.

India’s Relative Position

India has six systems in the TOP500 (Nov 2024) with AIRAWAT-PSAI ranked 136th globally.
This marks consistency compared to the early 2010s but falls short of leaders like the US and China, where exascale systems dominate.

Conclusion

Supercomputers are central to advancing science and ensuring national preparedness. India’s presence, while strategically important, needs expansion towards exascale capabilities to enhance both research outcomes and security resilience.

Model Answer

Introduction

The future of computing is being reshaped by exascale systems, quantum processors, and neuromorphic designs. India’s National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), launched in 2015, has emphasised indigenisation rather than competing in raw global rankings. The adequacy of this approach must be assessed against accelerating global technological shifts.

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Emerging Global Trends

Exascale computing: Machines like JUPITER in Germany (Sept 2025) now perform quintillions of operations per second, entirely powered by renewable energy.
Quantum computing: Offers novel methods of computation based on quantum mechanics, potentially reducing hardware and energy requirements.
Neuromorphic computing: Inspired by the human brain, these systems integrate processing and memory on a single chip, promising higher energy efficiency.

India’s NSM Strategy

Prioritises indigenous hardware and software development, such as Rudra servers and AUM nodes.
Expanded to 37 supercomputers across institutions, with 40 petaflops of combined capacity.
Strategic intent lies in self-reliance and resilience, rather than competing purely in performance metrics.

Adequacy of the Strategy

Strengths: Builds technological sovereignty, ensures security in critical applications like climate modelling, AI, and defence simulations, and reduces reliance on imports.
Limitations: India’s top-ranked system is 136th in the world, well below global exascale leaders. Without adoption of quantum-classical hybrids and renewable-energy solutions, the country risks falling further behind.
Opportunity: By focusing on hybrid next-generation paradigms instead of chasing rankings, India can leapfrog stages and align with future computing trajectories.

Conclusion

India’s NSM has laid a resilient base by building indigenous systems and integrating them into critical sectors. However, given the rapid shift towards exascale, quantum, and neuromorphic architectures globally, the present strategy is only partially adequate. To remain relevant, India must couple self-reliance with global competitiveness, invest in quantum-classical hybrids, and develop sustainable exascale systems. This balanced approach can position India at the forefront of next-generation supercomputing.

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