Sarvam Launches Indus Chat App for Indian Users
Sarvam, an Indian AI startup known for its focus on building models for local languages and users, has recently announced the launch of its new chat app, Indus. This move marks the company’s entry into the rapidly growing market dominated by global players like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
The introduction of Indus comes at a time when India has emerged as a key battleground for the adoption of generative AI technologies. With OpenAI’s ChatGPT boasting over 100 million weekly active users in India and Anthropic reporting that India accounts for 5.8% of total Claude usage, the demand for AI-powered solutions in the country is evident.
Indus serves as the chat interface for Sarvam’s latest innovation, the Sarvam 105B model, a 105-billion-parameter large language model. The app is currently available in beta on iOS, Android, and web platforms, allowing users to type or speak queries and receive responses in both text and audio formats. Users can sign in using their phone number, Google account, or Apple ID, although the service is currently limited to users in India.
Despite its innovative features, the Indus app does have some limitations. Users are unable to delete their chat history without deleting their account, and there is no option to disable the app’s reasoning feature, which can lead to slower response times. Sarvam has also cautioned that access may be restricted as the company gradually expands its compute capacity.
Co-founder Pratyush Kumar shared on X that, “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,” emphasizing the company’s commitment to gathering feedback from users.
Established in 2023, Sarvam has secured $41 million in funding from investors such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners, and Khosla Ventures. The startup is dedicated to developing large language models tailored specifically for the Indian market.
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As part of a growing movement among Indian startups, Sarvam aims to provide domestic alternatives to global AI platforms, contributing to India’s quest for greater control over its AI infrastructure.
