Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)

Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) was created in November 1987, initially as the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing Technology (C-DACT). In 1988, the US Government denied the sale ofa Cray Supercomputer to India due to concerns about India using it to develop nuclear weapons. In response, India started development of its own supercomputer. Following a specific recommendation of the Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (SAC-PM) to that effect, C-DAC was established as a scientific society of the then Department of Electronics (now the Department of Information Technology (DIT) under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology). Dr Vijay Bhatkar was hired as the director of C-DACT. The project was given an initial run of three years and an initial funding of $30,00,00,000, the cost of a Cray supercomputer.  A prototype computer was benchmarked at the 1990 Zurich Super-computing Show. It demonstrated that India had the second most powerful, publicly demonstrated, supercomputer in the world after the United States.  The final result of the effort was the PARAM 8000, released in 1991.

Since then Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has been undertaking building of multiple generations of Supercomputer starting from PARAM with 1 GF in 1988.  Almost at the same time, C-DAC started building Indian Language Computing Solutions with the setting up of GIST group (Graphics and Intelligence based Script Technology).  The  National Centre for Software Technology (NCST) set up in 1985 had also initiated work in Indian Language Computing around the same period.   Electronic Research and Development Centre of India (ER&DCI) with various constituents starting as adjunct entities of various State Electronic Corporations, had been brought under the hold of Department of Electronics and Telecommunications (now MeitY) in 1988. They were focusing on various aspects of applied electronics, technology and applications.

C-DAC is the premier R&D organization of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for carrying out R&D in IT, Electronics and associated areas. Different areas of C-DAC, had originated at different times, many of which came out as a result of identification of opportunities.  With the passage of time as a result of creative ecosystem that got set up in C-DAC, more areas such as Health Informatics, etc., got created.  While right from the beginning the focus of NCST was on Software Technologies, C-DAC also started its education & training activities in 1994 as a spin-off, and with the passage of time, it grew to a large extent to meet the growing needs of Indian Industry for finishing schools.  

C-DAC has today emerged as a premier R&D organization in IT&E (Information Technologies and Electronics) in the country working on strengthening national technological capabilities in the context of global developments in the field and responding to change in the market need in selected foundation areas. In that process, C-DAC represents a unique facet working in close junction with MeitY to realize nation’s policy and pragmatic interventions and initiatives in Information Technology. As an institution for high-end Research and Development (R&D), C-DAC has been at the forefront of the Information Technology (IT) revolution, constantly building capacities in emerging/enabling technologies and innovating and leveraging its expertise, caliber, skill sets to develop and deploy IT products and solutions for different sectors of the economy, as per the mandate of its parent, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India and other stakeholders including funding agencies, collaborators, users and the market-place.  The National Centre for Software Technology, Electronic Research and Development Centre and CEDTI were merged into C-DAC in 2003.

C-DAC has grown exponentially since its inception. Today it has the following 12 branches and training centres spread all over India:

C-DAC Pune (Headquarters)
C-DAC Mumbai
C-DAC Bangalore
C-DAC Chennai
C-DAC Delhi
C-DAC Kolkata
C-DAC Patna
C-DAC Mohali
C-DAC Noida
C-DAC Hyderabad
C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram
C-DAC Silchar

C-DAC Chennai, located in Taramani, Chennai, was established in 2002.  It is an Autonomous Scientific Society of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India.  It is primarily an R&D institution engaged in the design, development and deployment of electronics and advanced Information Technology (IT) products and solutions.   Chennai Centre of C-DAC focuses on three major areas: Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), Ubiquitous Computing and Upskiling / Reskilling.

C-DAC Chennai is the National Resource Centre for Free and Open Source Software (NRCFOSS) that is setup with the twin roles of bridging the digital divide as well as strengthening the Indian Software industry.

C-DACChennai has built expertise in the latest technologies of Secured indigenous operating system, Blockchain, Next Generation Cyber security solutions, Micro services-based Software as service solutions, Secure online Exam system, AI & Machine Learning based solutions, LPWAN (Low Power wide area Network), IOT (Internet of Things) and 5G-SDN (Software Defined Network) Technologies.

C-DAC provides several courses in the field of advanced computing and software development. Among these are the HPC certification course- C-DAC Certified HPC Professional Certification Programme (CCHPCP). C-DAC organises advanced computing diploma programmes through the Advanced Computing Training School (ACTS) located all over India. The PG Diploma courses include:
Specialisations in Embedded System Design,
VLSI,
Big Data Analytics,
Geoinformatics,
Artificial Intelligence
C-DAC has also established Centres of Excellence in Information Technology (CEIT) abroad under the Ministry of External Affairs' s development partnership projects.

Its wide range of products, services and solutions are designed to cater to a large market ranging from health care systems, datawarehousing, multimedia and multilingual technologies, networking solutions to technical consultancy, training and eGovernance solutions.  The following are the services and solutions provided by C-DAC:

High Performance, Grid and Cloud Computing
High Performance Computing (HPC) plays an important role in both scientific..

Multilingual Computing & Heritage Computing
India is a unique country in the world having 22 scheduled languages besides heritage languages..

Strategic Electronics
C-DAC has expertise in the design of VLSI Systems, ASIC IP development, microprocessor..

Software Technologies including FOSS
The objective of C-DAC in software technology research is to foster R&D activities..

Cyber Security
Increased Internet penetration has given exponential rise in sophisticated attacks..

Quantum Computing
Quantum technology exploits the physical phenomenon of atomic and subatomic particles..

Health Informatics
Health Informatics technologies help to improve quality of healthcare, reduce medical errors..

C-DAC's Education and Training programmes are aimed at creating skilled manpower.

OUR VISION
Our VisionTo emerge as the premier R&D institution for the design, development and deployment of world class electronic and IT solutions for economic and human advancement.

OUR MISSION
Our MissionC-DAC's Mission statement has evolved after deep thought and in consultation with the members of C-DAC. The Mission Statement as defined below, reflects the fabric and character of C-DAC and integrates in the fulfillment of C-DAC's Vision.

Expand the frontiers of Electronics and Information Technology.
Evolve technology solutions - architectures, systems and standards for nationally important problems.
Achieve rapid and effective spread of knowledge by overcoming language barriers through application of technologies.
Share experience and know-how to help build advanced competence in the areas of Electronics and Information Technology.
Bring benefits of Electronics and Information Technology to society.
Utilize the Intellectual Property generated by converting it to business opportunity.
OUR CORE VALUES
The essence of C-DAC's philosophy and the bed rock of our Corporate Culture...

Innovation and pursuit of excellence in 'Applications', 'Research' and 'Technology' (ART).
Integrity, transparency and openness in all our actions.
Working with and through the 'Teams' is our way of life.
Distributed Leadership across the organization at various levels.
Strive to continuously improve our processes and quality.
Address the needs of the society through user centric initiatives.

How to register for C-CAT

The process of admission to C-DAC's PG Diploma courses begins with online registration. Candidates are advised to read the instructions carefully while filling the online registration and application forms. Upon registering, candidates will get their Form Number that can be used to log in, fill and complete the C-CAT application form.

Admissions to all Post Graduate Diploma courses of C-DAC are done through C-DAC's computerized Common Admission Test (C-CAT).

Every year, C-CAT is conducted in December / January (for February / March admissions) and June / July (for August / September admissions).

Candidates who qualify the upcoming C-CAT scheduled on July 15 / 16, 2023 will only be considered for admission to C-DAC’s Post Graduate Diploma courses of September 2023 batch on the basis of their C-CAT ranks and can further participate in counseling rounds.

About Placement
Placement is that time of the year when students move out of the wonderful cocoon that the college has created to develop and nurture them, into full-grown butterflies - ready to take on the world with their skills.

C-DAC placements create a platform where students can showcase their talents which different companies seek to explore and utilize. Starting from 1993, we have successfully placed a large section of graduates who have appeared for placements. This year especially, the performance has been overwhelming.

The moment you step foot at C-DAC, the process of shaping and moulding you for the real world begins. From day one itself, the focus is to get one ready to bag the best possible offer from industry bigwigs, at the end of six months when the Post Graduate Diploma programmes culminate.

C-DAC helps students in exploring placement opportunities by inviting companies for Common Campus Placement Programme. The final placements at C-DAC are a culmination of systematic and continued interaction with industry and ongoing and enduring career counselling as well as grooming of the students by mentors and Career Development Centre.

And before the “Placement” day, we finally present the podium where thousands of students participate in National Level Common Campus Placement Programme (CCPP) in six regions: Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Noida, Patna and Pune where more than 500 companies across India visit for recruitment.

The interview process usually starts with company introduction enlightens the students with company profile followed by written test, group discussion, and personal interview. The underlying idea is to acquaint the students with the companies, their culture, and the domain, how they differentiated from their competitors, the job roles, growth rate, the expectations from students, the selection process, required skill sets and other aspects needed to build a lasting career.

A great number of new as well as regular companies visit our National Level Common Campus Placement Programme (CCPP) every batch and we have been successful in placing more than 2000 students every batch.

Interested persons should apply ONLINE at https://www.itecgoi.in . On successful registration they should take a print out of the form and submit to Indian Embassy/mission through their own Ministries/Departments or the Foreign Office. The authorized officials of the foreign Government will be responsible for nominating the applicants.

The employees and officials of the Government, Public Sector Enterprises, Universities and Chamber of Commerce and Industries are eligible to apply for scholarship under ITEC. The scholarship covers free international airfare, tuition fees, accommodation and out of pocket expenses (Living Allowance). The Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India gives the scholarship.

Applications of the candidates are then scrutinized by the training institutes in India for their eligibility from technical point of view, which includes educational qualification and work experience. The final decision for grant of scholarship rests with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

Upon selection, the Indian Embassies and High Commissions would inform the concerned authorities. The Indian Missions abroad brief the selected candidates about the training Programme in India and also provide an economy/tourist class return air ticket to the candidates for their travel to India.

Another mode of training is e-ITEC which is a modality of ITEC programme wherein training is imparted in partner countries by Indian Institutes online in real time.

C-DAC has designed, deployed and transferred manufacturing technology for numerous large scale electronics systems as well as small footprint VLSI and Embedded System Products for applications ranging from Supercomputing, Energy Measurement, Personal Computing, Medical appliances, Power and Process control.