Hustler Words – India’s burgeoning artificial intelligence landscape just got a formidable new player with Sarvam’s launch of its Indus AI chat application. This strategic move sees the Indian startup, dedicated to crafting AI models for local languages and users, directly entering a fiercely competitive arena currently dominated by global titans such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. The debut of Indus marks a pivotal moment as India solidifies its position as a crucial theater for generative AI innovation and adoption.
The nation’s significance in the global AI narrative is underscored by recent data; OpenAI CEO Sam Altman disclosed that ChatGPT commands over 100 million weekly active users in India, while Anthropic reported that India accounts for a substantial 5.8% of total Claude usage, placing it second only to the United States. This vibrant user base provides a fertile ground for domestic solutions like Indus.
At the core of the Indus app lies Sarvam’s recently unveiled Sarvam 105B model, a sophisticated large language model boasting 105 billion parameters. This technological backbone, alongside its 30B counterpart, was introduced earlier this week at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Beyond the chat application, Sarvam used the summit to outline ambitious enterprise initiatives, future hardware plans, and significant partnerships, including collaborations with HMD to integrate AI into Nokia feature phones and Bosch for advanced AI-enabled automotive applications, signaling a broad strategic vision.
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Currently accessible in a beta phase across iOS, Android, and web platforms, the Indus app empowers users to interact through both typed and spoken queries, receiving responses in corresponding text and audio formats. While sign-in options include phone numbers, Google accounts, and Apple IDs, the service is presently geographically restricted to users within India.
As with many nascent technologies, Indus arrives with a few initial limitations. Users are currently unable to delete individual chat histories without the drastic step of deleting their entire account. Furthermore, there’s no option to disable the app’s reasoning feature, which can occasionally lead to slower response times. Sarvam has also proactively cautioned users about potential access restrictions as it progressively scales up its compute infrastructure. "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," stated Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar on X, emphasizing the company’s commitment to user feedback during this developmental phase.
Established in 2023, Sarvam has rapidly garnered significant investor confidence, raising $41 million from prominent firms like Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners, and Khosla Ventures. This substantial backing fuels its mission to develop large language models specifically optimized for the diverse linguistic and cultural nuances of India. Sarvam represents a growing cohort of Indian startups striving to forge indigenous alternatives to global AI platforms, aligning with India’s broader strategic imperative to assert greater sovereignty over its critical AI infrastructure.
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