India's New HPC Facility Enhances Public Health Research

The ICMR-National Virology Institute in Pune has inaugurated a high-performance computing facility named NAKSHATRA, aimed at enhancing India's public health research capabilities. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to improve genomic research and surveillance, crucial for pandemic preparedness. With the rise of zoonotic diseases, the HPC cluster will support rapid responses to various viral outbreaks. It features advanced technology to process complex genomic data, facilitating early detection of new disease threats and accelerating vaccine development. The initiative is part of the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, marking a significant step towards a healthier future for India.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jun 19, 2025, 11:57 IST

Introduction to the HPC Facility

Pune, June 19: The newly launched high-performance computing (HPC) facility at the ICMR-National Virology Institute (NIV) marks a significant advancement in India's public health research capabilities.

Strategic Importance of NAKSHATRA

This cutting-edge computing cluster, named NAKSHATRA, is a vital step towards achieving the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’. It aims to enhance genomic research and surveillance, thereby playing a crucial role in the nation's pandemic preparedness.

Addressing Zoonotic Threats

The establishment of this facility comes at a time when the world faces increasing threats from zoonotic diseases, which can transfer from animals to humans. Notable examples include the SARS-COV-2 virus, responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic, and H5N1, known as bird flu, which has impacted both animal and human populations.

Growth in Viral Species Identification

Dr. Naveen Kumar, Director of ICMR-NIV, highlighted the dramatic increase in identified viral species, stating, "From just 290 viral species and 2 virus families recognized by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in 1971, the count has surged to 14,690 viral species and 314 families in 2023."

He noted that new viruses and genetic variants are reported almost daily, attributing this surge to factors such as globalization, climate change, and deforestation, which contribute to the emergence of new pathogens.

Development Under PMABHIM

The HPC facility was developed under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PMABHIM) and is a key component of the “High Performance Computing Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Hub” project.

This initiative is set to transform the processing of genomic and bioinformatics data in India, addressing the limitations faced during the Covid pandemic due to outdated computing infrastructure.

Supporting Rapid Responses to Outbreaks

According to Dr. Kumar, the HPC cluster will be instrumental in facilitating rapid, data-driven responses to various virus outbreaks, including Nipah, Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), West Nile, Zika, Covid, mpox, and H5N1 influenza A.

Enhancing Genomic Surveillance

The NAKSHATRA HPC facility is poised to significantly improve the country's genomic surveillance and data analysis capabilities, preparing for technology-driven pandemic readiness and future public health emergencies.

By enabling quicker analysis of complex genomic data, it will assist scientists in early detection of new disease threats, leading to more efficient outbreak responses and accelerated AI-driven vaccine and drug development.

Technical Specifications

The newly established HPC cluster comprises 12 compute nodes, providing a total of 700 cores and 1 petabyte of storage.

It will facilitate complex bioinformatics workflows, including NGS, transcriptomics, phylogenetics, metagenomics, and structural bioinformatics.

This facility will serve as a central repository for sequencing data and will extend support to Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs), initially catering to five ICMR institutes across the nation.