In a landmark move to bolster India’s artificial intelligence ecosystem, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is advancing the ₹10,000 crore IndiaAI Mission by formally backing four indigenous startups—Sarvam AI, Soket AI Labs, Gnani.ai, and Gan.ai—to develop foundational AI models tailored for India’s unique linguistic and digital landscape.
The selected startups represent the first tranche of beneficiaries under MeitY’s multi-tiered strategy to accelerate the development of Large Language Models (LLMs) and other foundational technologies that align with the country’s multilingual and culturally diverse environment.
Among the front-runners, Soket AI Labs has proposed the EKA Project, a 120-billion parameter open-source Indic LLM, trained on an extensive dataset of 2 trillion tokens. CEO Abhishek Upperwal confirmed the submission to the IndiaAI Mission, outlining a 12-month roadmap with plans to roll out smaller models within the next six months.
Sarvam AI is concurrently developing a 70-billion parameter multimodal AI model that supports both Indian languages and English. Rather than direct financial grants, the company is set to receive GPU compute resources worth ₹200 crore, aligning with MeitY’s strategy of strategic asset deployment over cash incentives.
Startups Gnani.ai and Gan.ai have submitted proposals for smaller-scale models focused on speech and language processing. While Gnani.ai declined to comment, its submission aligns with its known expertise in Indic voice technologies. Gan.ai, led by CEO Ganesh Gopalan and co-founder Ananth Nagaraj—who also contributes to the IndiaAI policy drafting team—is working on advanced speech-to-speech models optimized for Indian languages.
The IndiaAI initiative reflects an urgency shaped by international advancements in generative AI, particularly China’s high-profile DeepSeek AI model. With geopolitical momentum intensifying, India is accelerating its ambition to build a sovereign AI infrastructure.
Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw affirmed the government’s commitment, stating, “Very soon we will have our own LLM,” emphasizing India’s intent to emerge as a global AI leader.
MeitY received an overwhelming response to its ₹1,500 crore incentive scheme for foundational model development, with 67 applications submitted by February 15, followed by another 120 in March. Final selections are expected shortly.
To complement model development, MeitY is also establishing a robust centralised compute infrastructure in collaboration with 10 GPU-as-a-service providers, including Jio, Yotta, CtrlS, Tata Communications, and NxtGen. This national cloud platform aims to offer high-performance GPU compute at rates below $1 per hour, making it among the most affordable in the world.
With the IndiaAI Mission taking decisive shape, the country is poised to unlock next-generation AI innovation powered by homegrown talent and tailored to India’s digital ecosystem.
Recent Random Post:
