Sarvam, an Indian AI startup dedicated to developing models for local languages and users, has officially launched its Indus chat app. This introduction marks Sarvam's entry into the rapidly expanding generative AI market, which is currently dominated by international technology giants such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.

The launch of Indus comes at a pivotal time, as India increasingly emerges as a crucial battleground for the adoption of generative AI technologies. Evidence of this trend includes OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's recent revelation that ChatGPT commands over 100 million weekly active users in India. Similarly, Anthropic has noted that India accounts for 5.8% of total Claude usage, placing it second only to the United States in terms of user engagement.

Indus functions as a user-friendly chat interface for Sarvam's newly unveiled Sarvam 105B model, a robust large language model featuring 105 billion parameters. The app's release follows closely after Sarvam, a Bengaluru-based company, first introduced its 105B and 30B models at the India AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi earlier this week. During the summit, Sarvam also detailed its plans for enterprise initiatives and hardware development, alongside announcing strategic partnerships. These collaborations include a deal with HMD to integrate AI capabilities into Nokia feature phones and a partnership with Bosch for AI-enabled automotive applications.

Currently available in beta, the Indus app supports iOS, Android, and web platforms. Users can interact with the app by typing or speaking their queries, and in return, receive responses in both text and audio formats. To access the service, users can sign in using their phone number, a Google or Microsoft account, or their Apple ID. However, at present, the service appears to be exclusively available within India.

Despite its promising features, the Indus app has some initial limitations. Users are unable to delete their chat history without also deleting their entire account. Furthermore, there is no option to disable the app's reasoning feature, which can occasionally lead to slower response times. Sarvam has also issued a warning that access to the app may be restricted initially as the company progressively expands its computing capacity. Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar clarified this on X, stating, "We’re gradually rolling out Indus on a limited compute capacity, so you may hit a waitlist at first. We will expand access over time," while also encouraging user feedback.

Founded in 2023, Sarvam has successfully secured $41 million in funding from notable investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners, and Khosla Ventures. This funding supports its mission to develop large language models specifically tailored for the Indian context. Sarvam represents a key player within a small but expanding cohort of Indian startups striving to create indigenous alternatives to global artificial intelligence platforms, aligning with India's broader objective of gaining greater autonomy over its AI infrastructure.