{"id":3901,"date":"2026-01-02T23:38:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T18:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/?p=3901"},"modified":"2026-01-03T15:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T10:12:21","slug":"supercomputer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/supercomputer\/","title":{"rendered":"Supercomputer – Uses, Examples, Supercomputers in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supercomputers are high-performing computers<\/strong>,designed to tackle complex computational challenges. They encompass multiple central processing units that break down the required tasks into multiple parts and process them simultaneously, which effectively results in high-speed computation. The performance of supercomputers is measured in terms of\u00a0floating-point operations per second (FLOPs).<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Supercomputers can be utilised for general purposes as well as special purposes such as Belle, Hydra, and Deep Blue for playing chess.<\/p>\r\n

Features and Working of Supercomputers<\/h2>\r\n

Supercomputers possess multiple distinctive features that set them apart from conventional computers. These are described below:<\/p>\r\n

\"Features<\/p>\r\n

    \r\n\t
  • Multiple CPUs:<\/strong>\u00a0Supercomputers incorporate more than one CPU.\r\n\r\n
      \r\n\t
    • Each CPU contains circuits for interpreting program instructions and executing arithmetic and logic operations.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
    • Speed:<\/strong>\u00a0These computers can support the high computation speed of CPUs.<\/li>\r\n\t
    • Storage:<\/strong>\u00a0It has a very high storage capacity. Rapid retrieval of stored data and instructions is crucial to support high computational speed.<\/li>\r\n\t
    • Vector Arithmetic:<\/strong>\u00a0By using Vector Arithmetic, they can operate on\u00a0pairs of lists\u00a0<\/strong>of numbers rather than on mere pairs of numbers.<\/li>\r\n\t
    • Multi-Users:<\/strong>\u00a0A supercomputer allows multiple users to access supercomputing simultaneously.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

      History of Supercomputers<\/h2>\r\n

      The trajectory of supercomputing was set in motion during the\u00a0late 1950s\u00a0<\/strong>when the U.S. government initiated consistent funding for the development of high-performance computer technology, primarily aimed towards military applications.<\/p>\r\n

        \r\n\t
      • Key events:<\/strong>\r\n
          \r\n\t
        • In 1976, the\u00a0Cray-1\u00a0<\/strong>was introduced which was the first successful implementation of vector processing.<\/li>\r\n\t
        • In 1985, a four-processor\u00a0Cray-2\u00a0<\/strong>became the first computer to exceed one billion FLOPS.<\/li>\r\n\t
        • Roadrunner<\/strong>, exceeding 1,000 TFLOPS or 1 petaFLOPS, was built by IBM.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

          Contemporary Supercomputers<\/h3>\r\n
            \r\n\t
          • Currently, the\u00a0IBM Summit\u00a0<\/strong>holds the title of the\u00a0world's fastest supercomputer<\/strong>\u00a0according to the TOP-500 supercomputer list.<\/li>\r\n\t
          • Following closely is another American supercomputer,\u00a0Sierra<\/strong>, which has a peak speed of 125 petaFLOPS.<\/li>\r\n\t
          • Other significant supercomputers on the list include\u00a0Sunway TaihuLight<\/strong>\u00a0in Wuxi (China),\u00a0Tianhe-2<\/strong>\u00a0in Guangzhou (China),\u00a0Dell Frontera<\/strong>\u00a0in Austin (USA),\u00a0Piz Daint<\/strong>\u00a0in Lugano (Switzerland), and\u00a0AI Bridging Cloud Infrastructure (ABCI)<\/strong>\u00a0in Tokyo (Japan).<\/li>\r\n\t
          • The\u00a0United States<\/strong>\u00a0dominates the top 10 with five supercomputers, while\u00a0China\u00a0<\/strong>follows with two.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

            Supercomputers in India<\/h2>\r\n

            In 1987, the USA denied India's request to purchase the Cray\u00a0X-MP<\/strong>\u00a0for\u00a0academic\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0weather\u00a0<\/strong>forecasting purposes, which compelled India to promote its supercomputing programme.<\/p>\r\n

            \"Supercomputers<\/p>\r\n

              \r\n\t
            • Agencies involved:<\/strong>\u00a0Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), and Advanced Numerical Research and Analysis Group (ANURAG) took the lead in this direction.\r\n\r\n
                \r\n\t
              • C-DOT<\/strong>\u00a0developed \"CHIPPS<\/strong>\", a high-performance Parallel Processing System.<\/li>\r\n\t
              • BARC\u00a0<\/strong>created the\u00a0Anupam\u00a0<\/strong>series of supercomputers.<\/li>\r\n\t
              • ANURAG\u00a0<\/strong>created the\u00a0PACE\u00a0<\/strong>series of supercomputers.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
              • Param Series:<\/strong>\u00a0PARAM supercomputers are designed and assembled by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in Pune, India.<\/li>\r\n\t
              • PARAM means \"supreme<\/strong>\" in Sanskrit, and also creates an acronym for \"PARAllelMachine<\/strong>\".<\/li>\r\n\t
              • The\u00a0PARAM 8000<\/strong>\u00a0was a success for C-DAC in delivering a\u00a0gigaFLOPS<\/strong>\u00a0range parallel computer. It was launched in\u00a01991<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n\t
              • In 1993, the\u00a0PARAM 9000<\/strong>\u00a0series was released, which had a peak computing power of 5 GFLOPS.<\/li>\r\n\t
              • In 1998, the\u00a0PARAM 10000<\/strong>\u00a0series had a sustained performance of 38 GFLOPS on the LINPACK benchmark.<\/li>\r\n\t
              • The\u00a0AI Supercomputer\u2018AIRAWAT\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0and PARAM Siddhi \u2013 AI are currently the fastest supercomputers in India. AIRAWAT has been ranked\u00a075th<\/strong>\u00a0in the world as of June 2023.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

                Indian Supercomputers in Top 500 List<\/h3>\r\n

                As of June 2023, there are 4 systems based in India on the TOP 500 supercomputer list.<\/p>\r\n

                \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
                Rank<\/strong><\/td>\r\nSite<\/strong><\/td>\r\nName<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\r\n

                Rmax<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

                (TFlop\/s)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

                		\r\n

                Rpeak<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

                (TFlop\/s)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

                75<\/strong><\/td>\r\nCentre for Development of Advanced Computing<\/td>\r\nAIRAWAT\u00a0<\/strong>- PSAI<\/td>\r\n8.5<\/td>\r\n13.17<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                131<\/strong><\/td>\r\nCentre for Development of Advanced Computing<\/td>\r\nPARAM\u00a0<\/strong>-\u00a0Siddhi\u00a0<\/strong>AI<\/td>\r\n4.62<\/td>\r\n5.27<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                169<\/strong><\/td>\r\nIndian Institute of Tropical Meteorology<\/td>\r\nPratyush\u00a0<\/strong>(Cray XC40)<\/td>\r\n3.76<\/td>\r\n4.01<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                316<\/strong><\/td>\r\nNational Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting<\/td>\r\nMihir\u00a0<\/strong>(Cray XC40)<\/td>\r\n2.57<\/td>\r\n2.81<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n

                National Supercomputing Mission<\/h2>\r\n

                The\u00a0Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a02015<\/strong>\u00a0announced a \"National Supercomputing Mission\" (NSM) to install\u00a073 indigenous supercomputers<\/strong>\u00a0throughout the country by 2022.<\/p>\r\n

                  \r\n\t
                • Objectives:\u00a0<\/strong>The primary goal of the mission is to establish a cluster of geographically distributed high-performance computing centres connected by a high-speed network, forming the National Knowledge Network (NKN).\r\n\r\n
                    \r\n\t
                  • It aims to enhance both\u00a0capacity and capability<\/strong>\u00a0in high-performance computing across academic and research institutions in Indiain their respective Domains.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                  • Characteristics:<\/strong>\r\n
                      \r\n\t
                    • Infrastructure:\u00a0<\/strong>It involves the deployment of high-performance computing centres, including three\u00a0petascale supercomputers<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n\t
                    • Financial Investment:\u00a0<\/strong>The mission spans a\u00a0seven-year program<\/strong>\u00a0with a budget of\u00a0$730 million (Rs. 4,500 crores)<\/strong>, indicating a significant financial commitment to advancing supercomputing capabilities in the country.<\/li>\r\n\t
                    • Localisation:\u00a0<\/strong>It aims to produce all the components within India.<\/li>\r\n\t
                    • Implementing Agencies: Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and the Indian Institute of Science.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                    • Achievements:<\/strong>\r\n
                        \r\n\t
                      • PARAM Shivay, the first supercomputer of India under NSM was installed in 2020 at IIT, BHU.<\/li>\r\n\t
                      • Other installed supercomputers are PARAM Pravega (IISc, Bangalore), PARAM Utkarsh (C-DAC, Bangalore), PARAM Ananta (IIT, Gandhinagar), PARAM Himalaya (IIT, Mandi), PARAM Siddhi-AI (C-DAC, Pune), and PARAM Vidya series.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

                        Applications of Supercomputers<\/h2>\r\n

                        Supercomputers are being used in multiple fields and have several applications such as:<\/p>\r\n

                          \r\n\t
                        • Weather Forecasting and Climate Research:<\/strong>\u00a0When the supercomputer is fed with data gathered via satellites, radars and weather balloons, field experts become better informed on how atmospheric conditions affect us.\r\n\r\n
                            \r\n\t
                          • They become better equipped to advise the public on weather-related topics.<\/li>\r\n\t
                          • For example, the\u00a0Derecho<\/strong>\u00a0supercomputer is being used to explore the effects of solar geoengineering and how releasing aerosols influences rainfall patterns.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                          • Genome Sequencing:\u00a0<\/strong>It is a type of molecular modelling which scientists use to get a closer look at a virus\u2019 DNA sequence that helps them diagnose diseases.\r\n\r\n
                              \r\n\t
                            • The supercomputer can perform DNA sequencing in a few hours.<\/li>\r\n\t
                            • For example, Researchers at Stanford University scored the\u00a0Guinness World Record<\/strong>\u00a0title for the fastest genomic sequencing.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                            • Aviation Engineering:\u00a0<\/strong>Supercomputing systems in aviation have been used to\u00a0detect solar flares<\/strong>,\u00a0predict turbulence<\/strong>\u00a0and approximate\u00a0aeroelasticity\u00a0<\/strong>to build better aircraft.\r\n\r\n
                                \r\n\t
                              • For example,\u00a0Frontier<\/strong>\u00a0has been recruited by GE Aerospace to\u00a0test open fan engine architecture<\/strong>\u00a0designed for the next generation of commercial aircraft that can reduce carbon dioxide emissions significantly.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                              • Space Exploration:\u00a0<\/strong>Supercomputers can take the massive amounts of data collected by\u00a0satellites<\/strong>,\u00a0probes<\/strong>,\u00a0robots\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0telescopes\u00a0<\/strong>and use it to\u00a0simulate\u00a0<\/strong>outer space conditions earthside.\r\n\r\n
                                  \r\n\t
                                • For example, at NASA,\u00a0Aitken<\/strong>\u00a0is used to create high-resolution simulations in preparation for upcoming\u00a0Artemis moon missions<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                                • Nuclear Fusion Research:\u00a0<\/strong>They can create simulations to\u00a0predict energy loss and optimise performance in plasma<\/strong>, used in the tokamak research.\r\n\r\n
                                    \r\n\t
                                  • Example: Frontier\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Summit<\/strong>\u00a0for a project led by scientists at General Atomics, USA.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                                  • Oil and Gas Exploration:\u00a0<\/strong>They can be used to collect huge quantities of geophysical seismic data to aid in finding and developing oil reserves.<\/li>\r\n\t
                                  • Military and defence:\u00a0<\/strong>Supercomputing can allow the military to perform\u00a0virtual testing of nuclear explosions<\/strong>\u00a0and ballistic weapons.<\/li>\r\n\t
                                  • Smog prediction:\u00a0<\/strong>Many scientists and climatologists use supercomputers in the laboratory to\u00a0predict fog and other pollution<\/strong>\u00a0and smog levels in a particular region.\r\n\r\n
                                      \r\n\t
                                    • Example:<\/strong>\u00a0Tianhe-1A of China.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

                                      Disadvantages of Supercomputer<\/h2>\r\n

                                      The following are a few disadvantages of the supercomputers:<\/p>\r\n

                                        \r\n\t
                                      • Physical Size: Supercomputers are physically large. Hence, they require lots of space.\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n
                                          \r\n\t
                                        • A supercomputer typically takes more than 1000 square feet of area.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                                        • Maintenance:<\/strong>\u00a0For this purpose,\u00a0special software<\/strong>\u00a0and expertise are needed to detect failures and the computer's overall usage.<\/li>\r\n\t
                                        • Storage:\u00a0<\/strong>To acquire the full capacity of a supercomputer, it should be equipped with enough storage space to accommodate all the produced data.\r\n\r\n
                                            \r\n\t
                                          • Without sufficient storage space, the supercomputer simply cannot perform calculations.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                                          • Heat Release:\u00a0<\/strong>A supercomputer is equipped with a large number of processors all of which can generate a significant amount of heat during their operations.\r\n\r\n
                                              \r\n\t
                                            • Due to this heat, most devices tend to get damaged easily.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t
                                            • Power Consumption:\u00a0<\/strong>Supercomputers typically consume large amounts of electricity.\r\n\r\n
                                                \r\n\t
                                              • In general, a supercomputer needs around 4 megawatts (MW) of electricity.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                                A supercomputer is a computer that performs at or near the highest operational rate for computers. The performance of supercomputers is measured in FLOPs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3902,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[40,571],"class_list":{"0":"post-3901","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-quest-level-3","8":"tag-quest","9":"tag-supercomputer"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3901"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19816,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3901\/revisions\/19816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}