Sarvam, an Indian artificial intelligence startup specializing in developing models for local languages and users, has officially launched its Indus chat application for web and mobile platforms. This move positions the company within a rapidly expanding market currently dominated by global giants such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
This launch occurs at a pivotal moment, as India emerges as a critical arena for the adoption of generative AI technologies. Recent statements underscore this trend: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that ChatGPT boasts over 100 million weekly active users in India, while Anthropic noted that India accounts for 5.8% of total Claude usage, placing it second only to the United States.
The Indus app functions as a chat interface for Sarvam's recently unveiled Sarvam 105B model, the company's 105-billion-parameter large language model. Its introduction follows by two days the formal unveiling of Sarvam's 105B and 30B models at the India AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi earlier this week. During the summit, the Bengaluru-based startup also detailed its enterprise initiatives, future hardware plans, and announced strategic partnerships, including collaborations with HMD to integrate AI into Nokia feature phones and with Bosch for AI-enabled automotive applications.
Currently available in beta across iOS, Android, and web platforms, the Indus app enables users to input queries via typing or speaking, receiving responses in both text and audio formats. Users can sign in using their phone number, Google account, or Apple ID, though the service appears to be geographically restricted to India for the time being.
The application, in its current iteration, presents certain limitations. Users are unable to delete their chat history without also deleting their entire account, and there is no option to disable the app's reasoning feature, which can occasionally lead to slower response times. Sarvam has also issued a cautionary note that access may be restricted as the company progressively expands its compute capacity.
Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar addressed these capacity considerations on X, stating, “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.” He further indicated that the company is actively soliciting feedback from its user base.
Established in 2023, Sarvam has successfully secured $41 million in funding to date from prominent investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners, and Khosla Ventures. These investments are directed towards the company's mission of developing large language models specifically tailored for the Indian market.
Sarvam represents a growing cohort of Indian startups committed to developing indigenous alternatives to global artificial intelligence platforms, aligning with India's broader strategic objective of enhancing control over its national AI infrastructure.
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