Sarvam AI Is Building India's Own ChatGPT – And It Speaks Our Languages

Sarvam AI is Building India’s Own Powerful AI Model – and It's a Big Deal

Imagine asking a chatbot a question in Hindi or Tamil — and it actually understands you. Not just the words, but the context, the feeling.

That’s exactly the future Sarvam AI is working on. And they’re doing it right here in India. 🇮🇳

Recently, the Government of India picked Sarvam AI, a Bengaluru-based startup, to build the country’s first sovereign large language model (LLM). In simple words, it means an AI model that’s completely made in India — trained here, stored here, and designed to think, speak, and even sound Indian.

And honestly, this couldn’t have come at a better time.

credit: Indianexpress

Why This Matters More Than You Think

Most of the AI tools we use today — whether it's ChatGPT, Gemini, or others — are built overseas. They're amazing, but let’s be real:

• They’re not tuned to Indian languages.
• They don’t always “get” our way of talking.
• And importantly, they send our data across borders.

With Sarvam AI stepping in, India is aiming for something bigger — control over its own AI future.
Not in a paranoid way, but in a smart, strategic way.

They’re building an LLM that can think critically, reason smartly, and respond through voice, not just text.
And yes, it will support multiple Indian languages, not just English.

The goal?

• More inclusivity
• Better data privacy
• AI that actually feels like it belongs to India

Meet the Minds Behind It

At the heart of this mission are Dr. Vivek Raghavan and Dr. Pratyush Kumar, co-founders of Sarvam AI.
They’re not just building "another tech product" — they’re crafting a piece of India’s digital soul.

And they’re doing it smartly — by creating three versions of the model:

• A large model for deep reasoning tasks.
• A small model for quicker, day-to-day conversations.
• An edge model that can run even on smaller devices like phones without needing internet all the time.

It’s like building different sizes of brains for different needs. Brilliant, right?

Teaming Up With the Best

Sarvam isn’t doing this alone.
They’ve partnered with AI4Bharat, a research team from IIT Madras that’s been making serious moves in Indian language technology.

Together, they're making sure the model doesn't just “translate” Indian languages — but truly understands them.
Because anyone who speaks Malayalam at home and Hindi at school knows: language isn’t just words; it’s culture, it’s feeling.

A Big Step for India

Let’s be honest.
For too long, India has been a user of global technologies.
This project flips that around — making India a creator and leader in cutting-edge AI.

Think about the impact:

• Farmers could get crop advice in their mother tongue.
• Students could learn from AI tutors that explain things in familiar, local styles.
• Startups could build apps faster and cheaper, without depending on foreign platforms.
• Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw himself said that India aims to be a global leader in AI — and projects like this are exactly how that dream becomes reality.

Sarvam’s Journey So Far

The Road Ahead

Of course, it won’t be easy.
Training a sovereign LLM needs insane amounts of data, computing, and fine-tuning.
It’s a long, tough road.

But with teams like Sarvam AI leading the charge — teams who understand that India’s diversity isn’t a problem, but a superpower — there’s every reason to be optimistic.