Indian AI startup Sarvam has launched its new Indus chat application, catering to web and mobile users. This move positions Sarvam in a rapidly expanding market that is currently dominated by global giants such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
India is emerging as a significant player in the generative AI landscape. Recently, OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, highlighted that ChatGPT enjoys over 100 million weekly active users in the country. Meanwhile, Anthropic reported that India constitutes 5.8% of total Claude usage, trailing only the United States.
The Indus app operates as a chat interface for Sarvam's newly launched 105B model, a large language model with 105 billion parameters. This launch follows the unveiling of both the 105B and 30B models at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where Sarvam also shared its plans for enterprise initiatives and hardware collaborations, including partnerships with HMD and Bosch.
Currently available in beta on iOS, Android, and the web, the Indus app allows users to submit queries via text or voice, receiving responses in both formats. Users can log in using their phone number, Google account, or Apple ID, although the service is presently limited to users in India.
However, the app has some restrictions; users cannot delete their chat history without removing their accounts, and the reasoning feature cannot be turned off, which may affect response times. Sarvam has indicated that access may be limited as they work to enhance their computational capabilities.
Co-founder Pratyush Kumar mentioned on social media that access to Indus will be gradually expanded, noting that users may encounter a waitlist initially as the company seeks feedback to improve the service.
Founded in 2023, Sarvam has successfully raised $41 million from investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners and Khosla Ventures, focusing on developing large language models tailored specifically for the Indian market.
Sarvam is part of a burgeoning group of Indian startups striving to create domestic alternatives to international AI platforms, reflecting India's ambition to gain more control over its AI infrastructure.
