The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the PARAM SHAKTI supercomputing centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), enhancing India’s high-performance computing infrastructure under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). The facility, inaugurated by MeitY Secretary Shri S. Krishnan on 3 January 2026, hosts the native PARAM RUDRA system, which was designed and put into operation by the Centre of Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). PARAM SHAKTI can deliver a peak performance of 3.1 petaflops, capable of performing more than 3.1 billion calculations per second, and will help accelerate research in the aerospace sphere, climate modelling, materials science, drug discovery, and other scientific studies requiring high levels of computational power.
PARAM SHAKti is a native 3.1petaflop supercomputing centre inaugurated at IIT Madras and under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY).
It is home to the PARAM Rudra supercomputer system, which is designed and planned in India.
The facility will provide a considerable enhancement of the high-performance of research computing.
It provides rich simulation and data-intensive workloads and promotes high-level research.
It was inaugurated by the NSM under the secretary of MeiyT, S. Krishnan.
PARAM SHAKTI enhances the autonomous Indian tech structure in science and technology.
| Exam | Year | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPSC Prelims | 2020 | Which of the following statements about supercomputers is NOT correct? | Supercomputers have limited applications in genetics is NOT correct (Option B) |
| KPSC KAS (Prelims) | 2020 (Held) | Which statements are correct concerning supercomputing in India? | Only A and B |
| RRB NTPC | 2016 (3 Apr) | Which one is considered India’s first supercomputer? | PARAM 8000 |
| RRB NTPC CBT-2 | 2022 (14 Jun) | Capacity of Param Pravega under National Supercomputing Mission? | 3.3 petaflops |
| RPF Constable | 2025 (09 Mar) | Name of the supercomputer inaugurated under NSM in Sept 2024? | PARAM Rudra |
| State PSC (Mizoram) | 2019 | What is the name of India’s first supercomputer? | PARAM 8000 |
| UPSSSC JE | 2016 | Examples of supercomputers include CRAY-2, CRAY XMP-24, Tianhe-2 | All of the above |
| RPF Constable | 2025 (12 Mar) | Fastest supercomputer of India as of end-2024 (Top-500 ranking)? | Airawat PSAI |
The computational power of the IIT Madras PARAM SHAKTI supercomputing facility enhances the computational power of India, which can be used to conduct advanced research in the areas of science, engineering, and artificial intelligence. It underlines complex simulation and stipulates faster innovation and advanced education. This plant will make IIT Madras a centre of excellence in high-performance computing to lead the technological advancement and scientific development nationally.