The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has inaugurated Param Shakti, a 3.1 petaflop indigenous supercomputing facility at IIT Madras, strengthening India’s research capacity in high-performance computing under the National Supercomputing Mission.
The facility hosts CDAC’s PARAM Rudra system, capable of executing over 3.1 quadrillion calculations per second, positioning it among India’s most powerful academic computing resources. MeitY Secretary S Krishnan emphasized the facility’s role within the broader IndiaAI Mission, noting government strategy to avoid dependence on single technology platforms by providing researchers access to diverse GPU architectures.
Operational since May 2025, Param Shakti has already achieved over 80 percent utilization, reflecting strong demand from interdisciplinary research communities.
Indigenous Architecture and Self-Reliance Strategy
PARAM Rudra represents complete indigenous development, utilizing CDAC’s Rudra series servers and running on open-source AlmaLinux with India’s system software stack. This end-to-end domestic design aligns with national priorities for computational sovereignty and reduces reliance on foreign hardware architectures.
The facility’s energy efficiency, operating at a power usage effectiveness of 1.2-1.4, addresses critical concerns around sustainable high-performance computing infrastructure scaling. MeitY’s approach supports broad research applications spanning aerospace engineering, materials science, climate modeling, drug discovery, and advanced manufacturing processes requiring computational simulation at scale.
National Supercomputing Mission Expansion
Param Shakti marks a significant milestone in India’s National Supercomputing Mission, now featuring 37 supercomputers installed nationwide with additional systems planned, including India’s largest facility targeted for Bengaluru.
The mission’s phased expansion systematically builds computational capacity across academic institutions while developing domestic expertise in supercomputing system design, deployment, and optimization. IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti highlighted complementary infrastructure including the National Knowledge Network connecting research institutions, urging focus on energy-efficient programming and GPU resource optimization critical for sustainable scaling.
Strategic Implications for IndiaAI Mission
MeitY Secretary Krishnan connected Param Shakti directly to IndiaAI Mission objectives, emphasizing diversified computing platforms that enable researchers to master multiple architectures rather than vendor lock-in scenarios. CDAC Director General E Magesh underscored Rudra platform evolution and called for broader adoption of indigenous systems to build long-term national capability in advanced computing.
The facility’s interdisciplinary research culture—spanning engineering, sciences, and computational domains—demonstrates effective cross-departmental collaboration essential for complex research challenges requiring integrated domain expertise and computational resources.
