Sarvam on Friday launched its Indus chat app for web and mobile users in India, marking the startup’s entry into a generative AI market currently dominated by global players such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google. The beta app, available on iOS, Android and the web, serves as the primary interface for Sarvam’s newly introduced 105-billion-parameter Sarvam 105B model and allows users to submit queries by text or voice and receive responses in text and audio.
The launch comes just two days after the Bengaluru-based startup unveiled its 105B and 30B large language models at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. At the same event, Sarvam outlined broader enterprise initiatives, hardware ambitions and partnerships, including collaborations with HMD to bring AI capabilities to Nokia feature phones and with Bosch for AI-enabled automotive applications.
Indus is currently limited to users in India and requires sign-in via phone number, Google or Microsoft account, or Apple ID. Sarvam has cautioned that access may initially be restricted as it scales compute capacity. In a post on X, co-founder Pratyush Kumar said the rollout would be gradual and that users may encounter a waitlist as the company expands infrastructure.
The app does ship with some early constraints. Users cannot delete chat history without deleting their account, and there is no option to disable the app’s reasoning feature, which can slow response times. These limitations reflect its beta status, as the company seeks feedback while increasing capacity.
Sarvam was founded in 2023 and has raised $41 million from investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners and Khosla Ventures. The company is positioning itself among a small but growing group of Indian startups building domestic AI platforms tailored to local languages and users, as India seeks greater control over its AI infrastructure.
India has rapidly emerged as a key battleground for generative AI adoption. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said ChatGPT has more than 100 million weekly active users in the country, while Anthropic has reported that India accounts for 5.8% of total Claude usage, second only to the United States. Against that backdrop, Sarvam’s Indus launch underscores the intensifying competition for Indian users — and the push by local companies to establish alternatives built specifically for the domestic market.
This analysis is based on reporting from TechCrunch.
Image courtesy of Sarvam.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
