High Performance Computing (HPC) is the Future

An interaction with Swastik Chakraborty, VP, Technology, Netweb Technologies

- DR ARCHANA VERMA [e-mail]

What are the challenges in accelerating High-Performance Computing (HPC) in India? How do you resolve these challenges?

Accelerating High-Performance Computing (HPC) in India faces several significant challenges. One of the primary obstacles is the limitation in infrastructure. HPC requires high-density compute systems that balance performance, energy efficiency and serviceability. However, many institutions and industries lack access to the latest infrastructure, often relying on outdated or insufficient systems. Even when advanced solutions are available, the high operational costs deter widespread adoption. For example, systems employing liquid cooling, though highly energy-efficient, can still be cost-intensive to implement and maintain.

Another major challenge is the skill gap in managing and optimising HPC environments. Advanced setups demand expertise in cluster management, parallel programming and optimisation, which are not yet mainstream in Indian academic curricula. As a result, the lack of skilled professionals becomes a bottleneck in fully leveraging HPC capabilities. To bridge the skills gap, HPC education must be embedded in academic curricula, supported by training programmes in collaboration with industry leaders like C-DAC, Netweb and IITs, with incentives like scholarships and job placements to attract talent. Increasing R&D funding through higher government budgets, tax incentives and international partnerships will further accelerate growth, enabling India to compete with global HPC leaders.

Thirdly, software optimisation for modern HPC architecture remains a challenge, as most existing software solutions are not designed for extreme parallelism and resilience, resulting in suboptimal performance.