India’s efforts to enhance its high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities received a significant boost with the launch of Param Shakti, a 3.1 petaflop indigenous supercomputing facility at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, under the National Supercomputing Mission. Inaugurated in Chennai by MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan, the new facility is powered by the PARAM Rudra system developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and is set to support cutting-edge research across multiple scientific and industrial domains.
Designed as a shared national resource, Param Shakti will enable advanced research in areas such as aerospace engineering, climate and weather modelling, drug discovery, materials science, and advanced manufacturing. The system significantly expands the computational capacity available to researchers and is expected to accelerate innovation by enabling complex simulations, large-scale data analysis, and AI-driven scientific discovery.
Highlighting the academic and research impact of the facility, IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti emphasized the importance of national digital infrastructure such as the National Knowledge Network. He encouraged students and researchers to focus on energy-efficient programming practices and effective GPU sharing to maximize the system’s potential. Addressing faculty members and scientists, MeitY Secretary Krishnan said, “It is encouraging to see faculty and researchers from diverse departments coming together to use this facility and contribute meaningfully in their respective domains.”
Krishnan also placed the launch in the context of India’s expanding HPC ecosystem. He noted, “With 37 supercomputers already installed across institutions nationwide and more in the pipeline, including the largest system planned for Bengaluru, these efforts are strengthening India’s research and innovation ecosystem.” This growing network of supercomputing infrastructure is aimed at democratizing access to high-end computing power across academia and research institutions.
Built entirely in India using C-DAC’s Rudra series servers and open-source software, Param Shakti reflects the country’s broader push for self-reliance in critical digital and computing infrastructure. Linking the system to the IndiaAI Mission, Krishnan stated, “By enabling access to multiple GPU architectures, we want our innovators, scientists and researchers to gain broad exposure and develop the capability to master diverse platforms.”
Operational since May 2025, the facility has already achieved over 80 percent utilization and places strong emphasis on energy efficiency. Together, these factors signal India’s steady progress toward building exascale computing capabilities in the years ahead, strengthening its position in global science, technology, and innovation.
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