Sarvam, an Indian AI startup, has launched its Indus chat app for web and mobile users, entering a fast-growing market dominated by global players including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
Sarvam focuses on building models for local languages and users. The launch comes as India has become a key battleground for generative AI adoption, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stating that ChatGPT has over 100 million weekly active users in India.
Indus serves as a chat interface for Sarvam's newly announced 105B model, a 105-billion-parameter large language model. The app is currently available in beta on iOS, Android, and the web, allowing users to type or speak queries and receive responses in text and audio.
The Funding Round
Sarvam has raised $41 million to date from investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners, and Khosla Ventures, as it builds large language models tailored for India.
Founded in 2023, Sarvam is one of a small but growing group of Indian startups attempting to build domestic alternatives to global artificial intelligence platforms as India seeks greater control over its AI infrastructure.
Product Details
The Indus app allows users to sign in using their phone number, Google account, or Apple ID, though the service appears to be limited to India for now. The app currently comes with some limitations, including the inability to delete chat history without deleting the account.
Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar has warned that access may be restricted as the company gradually expands its compute capacity, stating that users may hit a waitlist at first, but access will be expanded over time.
Market Context
The launch of Indus comes two days after Sarvam unveiled its 105B and 30B models at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. The company has also outlined enterprise initiatives and hardware plans, announcing partnerships with companies including HMD to bring AI to Nokia feature phones and Bosch for AI-enabled automotive applications.
