Sarvam AI picked to create India’s first LLM

By Swaleha | Published on April 28, 2025

Technology / April 28, 2025

Sarvam AI picked to create India’s first LLM – All you need to know

The government has selected Bengaluru-based Sarvam AI to build India’s first indigenous large language model under the IndiaAI Mission. Why is it important?

The government chose Sarvam not just for its vision but also for its technical plan. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that Sarvam’s model, with 70 billion parameters, is designed to match some of the best models globally, thanks to innovations in both programming and engineering.

In a major step towards boosting India’s AI infrastructure, the Central government has selected Bengaluru-based start-up Sarvam AI to build the country’s first large language model (LLM). The project falls under the Rs 10,000 crore IndiaAI Mission. It aims to create world-class AI infrastructure and models within India.

Sarvam AI stood out among 67 applicants to earn the government’s support. As part of the plan, Sarvam will get access to over 4,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs for six months. As per a report by The Economic Times, co-founders Pratyush Kumar and Vivek Raghavan shared that Sarvam’s model would be capable of reasoning, optimised for voice, and fluent in Indian languages. The idea is to build an AI system that can work at a population scale.

What Sarvam’s model will look like

Sarvam isn’t just building one model — it’s working on three:

Sarvam-Small: Built for real-time, interactive applications.

Sarvam-Edge: A compact version designed for on-device use, where speed and efficiency matter most.

Sarvam-Large: Focused on advanced reasoning and content generation tasks.

Interestingly, Sarvam is collaborating with AI4Bharat at IIT Madras, particularly in Indian languages.

Why this matters

This initiative is about more than just building another chatbot or assistant. It’s a move towards ensuring that India can develop and control its own AI systems without relying heavily on foreign technology. Sarvam’s AI models will be built entirely in India, using local infrastructure and homegrown talent. This not only helps with data security but also boosts innovation within the country.

The government’s broader IndiaAI Mission is moving fast, with over 400 proposals received so far. Meanwhile, major companies like Jio Platforms, Tata Communications, and Yotta have been empanelled to provide GPU services needed for developing AI systems.