India To Commission 30-Petaflop Supercomputer In Bengaluru To Power AI, Climate, And Space Research
"The SCI conference provides a key opportunity for convergence, an opportunity to showcase the work being done in India," said S Krishnan.
By Anubha Jain
Published : October 15, 2025 at 2:35 PM IST
Bengaluru: “We have developed the capacity to progressively indigenise the design and manufacture of supercomputing systems and chips, along with all related components. Several Indian companies are now producing these servers, and we are even in a position to export many of them,” said S Krishnan, IAS, Secretary to Government, MeitY, as the chief guest at the inaugural edition of Supercomputing India 2025.
Organised by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Bengaluru, the event was held under the theme “Powering the Future: HPC, AI, Quantum”, aligning with India’s flagship National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), which aims to build a network of high-performance supercomputers for research, innovation, and national development.
On the sidelines of the event, Krishnan talked to ETV Bharat and discussed India’s growing supercomputing capabilities, the hybrid future of computing, and efforts to make advanced infrastructure widely accessible across sectors. Following is an excerpt of the conversation:
Anubha Jain: What is the broader vision behind Supercomputing India 2025?
S Krishnan: As ISRO Chairman V Narayanan rightly pointed out, when critical technology was denied to India in the early 1990s, both the United States and Russia went on to develop it independently. Today, India has reached a stage where we possess the same level of technological capability that NASA has in the space domain. Similarly, the work carried out by C-DAC under the National Supercomputing Mission—which is now nearing completion of its first phase—is highly significant.
More than 37 supercomputers with a combined capacity of 40 petaflops have been established across various institutions in India. At C-DAC Bengaluru, a new 30-petaflop supercomputer is being set up and will be inaugurated soon. These resources form a national network already accessed by over 10,000 researchers, resulting in more than 1,250 published papers. This is important because it represents the facility currently in use and the experience being developed within the country to understand what needs to be done in this domain. This is precisely the kind of capability and expertise that C-DAC is fostering.
We must build on the innovations already achieved in the system and strive to grow beyond them. That is a crucial lesson, and Supercomputing India provides one of the key opportunities to do so. SCI also reflects the convergence of efforts by C-DAC, MeitY, and several other ministries working together toward a common goal. The Supercomputing India conference provides a key opportunity for convergence, showcasing the work being done in India. Today, India is recognised as a serious player in this field on the global stage.
Anubha Jain: Is MeitY exploring convergence between quantum computing and traditional hybrid quantum-classical systems?
S Krishnan: We believe that the world of computing, as it emerges, will be a hybrid ecosystem—not exclusively quantum, classical, or AI-GPU based, but a mix of all three. That is the world we need to prepare for.
Anubha Jain: In the current global context where AI and data-intensive research are rapidly advancing, how is India positioning itself through its supercomputing investments?
S Krishnan: India already has strong domestic capabilities and is working closely with global experts to strengthen them further. We are building our own computing capacity and developing semiconductor chips capable of performing high-performance computing tasks. Alongside this, we are setting up advanced infrastructure across different parts of the country so that it can be widely used by researchers, students, and institutions.
Given the scale of our population and academic ecosystem, we aim to ensure that such computing clusters grow across key regions and are accessible for cutting-edge research.
Anubha Jain: What policies are being considered to make supercomputing resources more accessible to startups and MSMEs?
S Krishnan: These computing resources are already interconnected across the country. Several institutions possess this capacity, and they are now linked in such a way that users can seamlessly access them—whether the facility is in Guwahati, Pune, or Bengaluru—without even needing to know where the computation is actually taking place.
Also read: Exclusive: Can India Lead The Quantum Future? Here's What Nobel Laureates Say
Collaborative push for India’s supercomputing edge
At Supercomputing India 2025, Krishnan highlighted India’s growing self-reliance in semiconductors, support for startups, and C-DAC’s leadership in quantum computing and high-performance computing (HPC). He noted that India’s indigenously developed HPC chips, built with international collaboration, are being continually improved for diverse uses. He also mentioned C-DAC’s partnership with NVIDIA and the Airawat supercomputer’s global ranking at 75th, with expansion plans underway.
Krishnan said that in all these developments, the three-way partnership is highly significant, with the government, academia, and the industry working closely together. The computing ecosystem will require all three types of facilities, and their effective interaction is essential to deliver the best outcomes for society at large.
At the event, Magesh E, Director General of C-DAC, also highlighted the organisation’s role in driving India's supercomputing and HPC initiatives, particularly through its contributions to the National Supercomputing Mission. He emphasised C-DAC’s work in building state-of-the-art computing infrastructure that is accessible to researchers, students, and institutions nationwide. Magesh also underscored the organisation’s commitment to fostering collaboration with industry, academia, and global partners to drive innovation in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and semiconductor technologies — strengthening India’s position on the global computing stage.
Magesh said that IISc’s supercomputer PARAM Pravega, commissioned in 2022, has a peak computing power of 3.3 petaflops. The new 30-petaflop supercomputer will be set up in the city soon, which will help in artificial intelligence, weather forecasting, quantum computing, climate modelling, and further advancing research in drug discovery, space exploration, satellite data analysis, telecom network optimisation, and other cutting-edge domains.
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