Sarvam AI: Spearheading India’s Sovereign AI Revolution with Advanced Language Models

In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping global economies, India is carving its own path by prioritizing technological self-reliance. At the forefront of this mission is Sarvam AI, a homegrown startup selected by the Indian government to develop the nation’s first sovereign Large Language Model (LLM) equipped with advanced reasoning and voice capabilities. This collaboration marks a pivotal step in India’s quest to harness AI for inclusive, culturally relevant innovation.  

Sarvam AI is founded by Dr.Vivek Raghavan and Dr.Pratyush Kumar, veterans of India’s tech industry, Pratyush Kumar was co-founder of AI4Bharat, pioneering Indian language AI applications, and PadhAI, introducing deep learning to thousands of students. 

Sarvam AI: Bridging Language and Technology Gaps  

Sarvam AI is dedicated to solving a critical challenge: making AI accessible to India’s linguistically diverse population. While global LLMs like ChatGPT or Gemini excel in English, they often struggle with India’s 22 officially recognized languages and thousands of dialects. Sarvam AI addresses this gap by building models trained on Indian datasets, ensuring they understand local idioms, cultural contexts, and regional needs.

The startup’s mission aligns with the government’s vision of AI for All, —a framework to democratize technology while safeguarding data sovereignty. By developing both open-source and proprietary models, Sarvam AI aims to empower businesses, educators, and citizens to leverage AI without relying on foreign platforms.  

Sarvam’s LLM will incorporate multilingual speech recognition and synthesis. This feature could revolutionize accessibility for non-literate populations, allowing users to engage with AI in their native languages via simple voice commands.  

Additionally, the model emphasizes data sovereignty, ensuring all infrastructure and training data reside within India. This not only complies with strict data privacy laws like the Digital Personal Data Protection Act but also mitigates risks associated with foreign-owned AI systems.  

Sarvam AI has multiple products and among them notable are Bulbul and Mayura. Bulbul is multi-lingual text-to-speech model in 6 different voices. Mayura translates text in different languages. Sarvam also provides API support to developers and integrators. 

Overall India government selecting Sarvam AI for their mission is appreciated among Indian IT industry.