The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is reportedly preparing to launch the second phase of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), which will shift focus from current petaflop-scale systems to cutting-edge exaflop-scale supercomputers. The upcoming phase aims to accelerate breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum research, and other high-impact scientific fields. Groundwork for NSM 2.0 is already underway, even as the first phase nears completion. The Union Cabinet is expected to approve a significantly higher outlay than Rs 45 billion allocated for NSM 1.0. Internal proposals and technical specifications for exascale computing are being finalised. As per C-DAC, the new mission will expand access to high-performance computing (HPC) across India, democratising opportunities for research and development (R&D), industrial modelling, and academic research. Rather than chasing global rankings with a single flagship system, India is focusing on “scale-out”, building multiple powerful systems to provide widespread access.
This approach will allow a broader pool of researchers, institutions, and AI/ machine learning (ML) innovators to access compute resources for complex scientific and industrial problems. C-DAC’s HPC systems have already supported advancements in weather forecasting, flood prediction, and vaccine development, including modelling efforts at the National Institute of Virology for COVID-19 vaccines.
According to C-DAC, HPC is also driving progress in genomics, astrophysics, and urban and oil modelling. With exascale capacity, India expects to achieve much higher-resolution models in climate science, pollution tracking, and disaster management. Beyond infrastructure, NSM 2.0 will focus on ecosystem development, including nationwide training in parallel programming, faculty development, and providing direct research access to academic institutions. C-DAC is collaborating closely with the Indian Institute of Science and aligning its efforts with national missions in AI, quantum computing, and digital technologies to maximise scientific and strategic outcomes.
The roadmap envisions achieving exaflop-class computing by 2030. C-DAC noted that exascale systems will not only enhance India’s research and innovation capabilities but also ensure inclusive and practical benefits for society at large.
