As competition intensifies, India’s Sarvam launches Indus AI chat app

Sarvam, an Indian AI startup focused on building models for local languages ​​and users, on Friday launched its Indus chat app for web and mobile users, entering a fast-growing market dominated by global players such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.

The announcement comes as India becomes a key battleground for generative AI adoption. Recently, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that ChatGPT has more than 100 million weekly active users in India, while Anthropic said India accounts for 5.8% of total Claude usage, second only to the US.

Indus serves as the chat interface for the Sarvam 105B model, the company’s newly announced 105 billion parameter large-scale language model. The app launch comes two days after Bengaluru-based Sarvam unveiled its 105B and 30B models at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi earlier this week. At the summit, the startup also outlined its enterprise efforts and hardware plans, announcing HMDs to bring AI to Nokia feature phones and partnerships with companies including Bosch for AI-enabled automotive applications.

Currently available in beta on iOS, Android, and Web, the Indus app allows users to type or speak queries and receive responses in text and voice. Users can sign in using their phone number, Google account, or Apple ID, but 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. Additionally, there is no option to turn off the app’s inference features, which may slow response times. Sarvam also warns that access may be limited as computing power is gradually expanded.

“We are rolling out Indus in stages with limited computing power, so you may initially hit a waiting list. We will expand access over time,” Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar wrote about X, adding that the company is seeking feedback from users.

Founded in 2023, Sarvam has raised $41 million to date from investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners, and Khosla Ventures to build a language model at scale customized for India.

Sarvam is one of a small but growing group of Indian startups looking to build a homegrown alternative to global artificial intelligence platforms as the country seeks greater control over its AI infrastructure.