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Pune, June 19 — In a landmark move to fortify India’s public health infrastructure, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has inaugurated the NAKSHATRA High-Performance Computing (HPC) facility at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. This advanced computing cluster is poised to transform genomic research and disease surveillance, significantly boosting the country’s readiness for future pandemics.
Developed under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PMABHIM), NAKSHATRA is the cornerstone of the “High Performance Computing Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Hub” project. The initiative was launched to overcome the computational challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when traditional systems could not keep pace with the demands of rapid genomic data analysis.
Dr. Naveen Kumar, Director of ICMR-NIV, highlighted the urgency and timeliness of this investment. “From just 290 viral species and 2 virus families identified in 1971, we now know of 14,690 viral species and 314 families as of 2023,” he said. Dr. Kumar attributed this dramatic increase to factors such as globalization, deforestation, and climate change, which are accelerating the emergence of novel pathogens and zoonotic diseases.
The NAKSHATRA facility will enhance India’s ability to monitor and respond to a range of infectious diseases, including Nipah, Zika, West Nile, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, H5N1 bird flu, and more. The system boasts 12 compute nodes, 700 cores, and a massive 1 petabyte of storage, enabling advanced research in transcriptomics, metagenomics, phylogenetics, and structural bioinformatics.
Beyond research, NAKSHATRA will serve as a central repository for genomic sequencing data and provide computational support to Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) across the country. Initially, five ICMR institutes will benefit from this infrastructure, with plans to extend support further. This marks a critical step toward realizing the government’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’—a technologically empowered and health-secure India.
Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary of the Department of Health Research and Director General of ICMR, commended the institute for this strategic initiative, emphasizing that enhanced computing resources are essential for technology-driven pandemic preparedness and future public health emergencies.
Disclaimer:
The information in this article is based on official statements from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, readers are advised to refer to official sources for the latest updates and confirmations. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of all stakeholders or the government. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical or policy advice.
