Sarvam AI, a Bengaluru-based startup, has launched the Indus AI chat app, marking a significant entry into India's booming generative AI market.
The app serves as a user-friendly interface for the newly unveiled Sarvam 105B model, a 105-billion-parameter large language model designed for Indian users.
Sarvam's Rapid Rise and Funding Success
Founded in 2023, Sarvam AI has quickly garnered $41 million in funding from prominent investors like Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners, and Khosla Ventures.
The company's focus on building AI models optimized for Indian languages positions it as a key player in reducing reliance on global tech giants.
Key Features of the Indus AI Chat App
Users can interact via text or voice inputs, receiving responses in both text and audio formats through the beta app available on web, iOS, and Android.
Sign-in options include phone numbers, Google accounts, or Apple IDs, with initial access limited to India due to constrained compute capacity.
Early users may face waitlists, and features like chat history deletion require account deletion, while the reasoning mode cannot be disabled.
Competition Heats Up in India's AI Arena
The launch comes amid fierce rivalry from global leaders like OpenAI, whose ChatGPT boasts over 100 million weekly users in India, and Anthropic's Claude.
Local competitors such as Krutrim from Ola are also vying for dominance in the world's second-largest internet market.
At the India AI Impact Summit, Sarvam announced enterprise tools, hardware initiatives, and partnerships with HMD for Nokia feature phones and Bosch for automotive AI.
This development underscores the growing push for sovereign AI infrastructure in India, potentially transforming access to localized AI services.
Co-founder Pratyush Kumar noted, “We’re gradually rolling out Indus on a limited compute capacity, so you may hit a waitlist at first. We will expand access over time.”
Alfred Lee
