Bengaluru-based AI startup Sarvam AI has been chosen by the Government of India to develop the country’s first sovereign large language model (LLM). This project falls under the IndiaAI Mission, a national initiative aimed at strengthening India’s capabilities in artificial intelligence. Through this program, Sarvam AI will receive the computing resources needed to create a foundational AI model completely from scratch.
Designed with advanced reasoning skills, voice-first interaction, and multilingual fluency across Indian languages, the model is intended for secure and large-scale deployment. According to Sarvam, the goal is to ensure AI feels natural and relatable to citizens and helps businesses leverage intelligence without data having to cross national borders.
“We are honored by the trust placed in us to build India’s sovereign AI model. This project marks a crucial step in establishing national AI infrastructure. Our mission is to develop multi-modal, multi-scale foundational models from scratch, unlocking countless possibilities,” said Dr. Vivek Raghavan, Co-founder of Sarvam AI.
The project will be entirely developed, deployed, and optimized in India using local infrastructure and homegrown talent. This effort aligns with the IndiaAI Mission’s larger vision of fostering strategic autonomy, encouraging domestic innovation, and positioning India as a leader in AI globally.
Dr. Pratyush Kumar, Co-founder of Sarvam AI, emphasized that the company is building three model variants:
- Sarvam-Large, designed for advanced reasoning and generation tasks
- Sarvam-Small, intended for real-time, interactive applications
- Sarvam-Edge, optimized for compact, on-device operations
Sarvam AI is also collaborating with AI4Bharat at IIT Madras, a leading research group focused on Indian language AI, to bring this vision to life.
“Building an AI ecosystem for India has always been central to Sarvam’s mission. Our team brings deep expertise in AI research and development, positioning us uniquely for this challenge,” Dr. Kumar added.
Sarvam AI has previously demonstrated its strengths by creating foundational models tailored for Indian languages. Evolving from a research initiative to now supporting governments, nonprofits, and businesses, Sarvam’s models are built to be cost-efficient and scalable for diverse Indian needs.
Expressing his confidence in Sarvam’s capabilities, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics & IT, Railways, and Information & Broadcasting, said, “We believe Sarvam’s models will be globally competitive.”
