Sarvamaan Indian artificial intelligence startup focused on building models for local languages and users launched its Indus chat app for web and mobile users on Friday, entering a fast-growing market dominated by global players including OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.
The launch comes at a time when India has emerged as a key battleground for the adoption of generative AI. Recently, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that ChatGPT has over 100 million weekly active users in India, while Anthropic claims that India accounts for 5.8% of Claude's total usagesecond only to the United States
Indus serves as the chat interface for the newly announced Sarvam 105B, the company's 105-billion-parameter multi-language model. The app launch comes two days after Bengaluru-based Sarvam showcased its 105B and 30B models at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi earlier this week. During the summit, the startup also outlined enterprise initiatives and hardware plans and announced partnerships with companies such as HMD to bring AI to Nokia and Bosch phones for AI-enabled automotive applications.
Currently available in beta on iOS, Androidand networkIndus app allows users to type or speak queries and receive responses in text and audio form. Users can log in using their phone number, Google or Microsoft account, or Apple ID, although the service appears to be limited to India for now.
The app currently has some limitations. Users cannot delete their chat history without deleting their account, and there is no way to disable in-app inference, which can sometimes slow down response times. Sarvam also warned that access may become limited as it gradually increases its computing capacity.
“We are rolling out Indus gradually with limited processing power, so you may end up on a waiting list at first. We will expand access over time,” Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar he wrote on X, adding that the company is waiting for user opinions.
Founded in 2023, Sarvam has raised $41 million to date from investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners and Khosla Ventures, building large language models tailored to India's needs.
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Sarvam is among a small but growing group of Indian startups that are trying to build domestic alternatives to global artificial intelligence platforms as India seeks greater control over its artificial intelligence infrastructure.
