NEW DELHI: India’s Gaganyaan mission is not just about reaching space but about achieving “limitless heights of our scientific dreams,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, as he virtually inaugurated three indigenously-developed Param Rudra supercomputing systems to facilitate pioneering scientific research, along with two high-performance computing (HPC) systems – ‘Arka’ and ‘Arunika’ – designed for weather and climate research, as well as predictions.
The PM also flagged progress made by the semiconductor industries within a short period of time and mentioned the launch of ‘India Semiconductor Mission‘ to strengthen this sector. He emphasised that India is building its semiconductor ecosystem, which will play a vital role in the global supply chain.
“India has become a significant power in the space sector,” PM Modi said, noting that the country’s scientists achieved the same feat with limited resources where other nations spent billions of dollars on their success.
The three Param Rudra supercomputers, worth around Rs 130 crore, were developed under National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). These supercomputers have been deployed in Pune, Delhi and Kolkata to facilitate pioneering and advanced scientific research in areas such as physics, cosmology and earth sciences.
“In the era of digital revolution, computing capacity is becoming synonymous with national capability,” the PM said, noting the direct dependence on science and technology and computing capabilities for opportunities in research, economic growth, disaster management, ease of living and ease of doing business.
