Latest news with #Sarvam
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
After Sarvam.ai, Soket AI, Gnani.ai, Gan.ai to now build foundation AI models, says IndiaAI Mission
The IndiaAI Mission on Friday announced Soket AI , , and will be developing foundation artificial intelligence (AI) models apart from , which was initially selected. ET had reported this more than a month ago. Soket AI will develop an open source 120 billion parameter foundation model optimised for the country's linguistic diversity targetting sectors such as defence, healthcare and education. will build a 14 billion parameter voice AI foundation model delivering multilingual, real-time speech processing with advanced reasoning capabilities. will create a 70 billion parameter multilingual foundation model targeting superhuman text-to-speech (TTS) model capabilities. The IndiaAI Mission also said that 34,333 GPUs are now available on the IndiaAI Compute portal. These include GPUs from Nvidia, AMD, AWS, and Intel. The offering comprises 15,100 H100 Nvidia GPUs, 8,192 Nvidia B200 GPUs, 4,812 Nvidia H200 GPUs, and 1,973 Nvidia L40S GPUs. The other GPU variants each comprise fewer than 1,000 or 500 in number. All seven technically qualified bidders in the second round of the GPU tender are empanelled, it said. Live Events The seven empanelled bidders are Cyfuture India, Ishan Infotech, Locuz Enterprise Solutions, Netmagic IT Services (NTT GDC India), Sify Digital Services, Vensysco Technologies, and Yotta Data Services. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories 367 datasets have been uploaded on AI Kosh, Vaishnaw revealed. AI Kosh is the government's platform that provides a repository of datasets, models and use cases to enable AI innovation. It also features AI sandbox capabilities. IndiaAI Mission on May 16 had said that it has received 506 foundation AI proposals across the three phases. Given the overwhelming response and continued interest, the mission has decided to extend the deadline for submissions under phase 3 of the call for proposals. The earlier deadline was April 30. 'Further dates for submission of proposals, the acceptance of new applications post April 30, will be announced subsequently, as per requirements, once the examination of proposals already submitted has been completed," IndiaAI said on its website. As part of the first phase of approvals, was selected to initiate the development of an indigenous foundational model. Sarvam's multimodal, multi-scale model will have 70 billion parameters. Sarvam cofounder Vivek Raghavan had said on April 26 that the model will be completed in six months. Capable of reasoning, designed for voice, and fluent in Indian languages, Sarvam's model will be ready for secure, population-scale deployment, the startup had said in a statement. According to cofounder Pratyush Kumar, Sarvam is developing three model variants -- Sarvam-Large for advanced reasoning and generation, Sarvam-Small for real-time interactive applications, and Sarvam-Edge for compact on-device tasks. Sarvam will get access to 4,096 Nvidia H100 graphics processing units (GPUs) for six months from the IndiaAI Mission's common compute cluster to train its model, people in the know had said. 'We are collaborating with AI4Bharat at IIT-Madras, a leader in Indian language AI research, to build these models,' Kumar had said.
Mint
4 days ago
- Business
- Mint
India to roll out its first indigenous semiconductor chip in 2025, says IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
In a significant development for India's technology manufacturing ambitions, Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced on Thursday that the country's first homegrown semiconductor chip, ranging between 28 to 90 nanometres, will be launched this year,reported NDTV. Speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) Annual Business Summit, the minister said the government had adopted a focused approach by targeting a specific market segment that constitutes 60 per cent of global semiconductor demand, stated the publication. You may be interested in "Today, six fabrication units are under construction. The rollout of the first Made in India chip is expected this year. We initiated this journey in 2022, and the progress has been steady," Vaishnaw stated. As per the report, chips within the 28-90 nm range are commonly used in automotive systems, telecommunications, power equipment, and railway applications. In semiconductor terms, smaller nanometre values indicate more densely packed transistors, enhancing performance and efficiency. Underscoring the need for a balanced growth strategy, the minister highlighted the equal importance of manufacturing and services. "While there is a strong push towards services, we must not ignore manufacturing. India's future growth relies on both. It is time to focus on creating our own intellectual property, products, designs, and standards," he said. Reportedly, the minister also shed light on the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), likening its potential to the revolutionary role the internet played in recent decades. "AI is reshaping industries and societies alike. We must prepare ourselves for this change, regardless of our sector or profession," he added. Vaishnaw stressed the necessity of developing AI systems that are sensitive to India's linguistic, cultural, and social fabric. He noted that one such initiative is already underway with the creation of an India-centric AI model named Sarvam, added the report. In addition to his IT portfolio, Vaishnaw, who also oversees the Ministry of Railways, spoke of notable achievements in the railway sector. "India has now become the world's second-largest freight railway network, transporting 1,612 million tonnes of cargo—surpassing the United States and Russia," he revealed. Passenger capacity has also seen significant growth, he said, adding that the sector is experiencing a phase where long-held goals are being realised. The minister further highlighted the successful integration of startups into the railway ecosystem. "Our experiment of welcoming innovation through startups has yielded strong results. A new policy is being formulated to test new ideas at scale and expand them based on performance," he concluded.
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
India must build AI models in local languages, social norms: Vaishnaw
India needs to develop artificial intelligence (AI) models that are rooted in domestic languages, culture, conditions, nuances, and social norms, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said. 'We have taken up development of models. One of the first is being developed by Sarvam. There are three or four applications which are in the advanced stages of approvals. We are also taking up common datasets as a part of this entire process,' Vaishnaw said at the CII Annual Summit 2025. Akin to the advancements made in the semiconductor and electronics industry, AI will bring 'humongous changes' to society and industry, he said. 'I think that kind of change is coming. We should stay prepared for that change. Whichever industry or sector we are in, we must be prepared,' the Union minister said. In order to ensure access to high-end compute for all, the government has targeted enabling access to 10,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) under the IndiaAI Mission. Against this target, it received bids for more than 18,000 GPUs in the first round of bidding, he said, adding that companies have placed bids to procure nearly 14,000 GPUs in the second round. The IndiaAI Mission was approved by the Union Cabinet in March 2024, with a capital outlay of ₹10,738 crore. The IndiaAI Compute Portal will provide access to these GPUs as well as AI cloud services for start-ups, application developers, researchers, and students. It will allow end users to access a wide range of high-end GPUs and facilitate AI research and innovation in the country. The first Made in India chips in the 28–90 nm range will be rolled out by the end of this year, the Union minister said. 'There are many people who criticised us for aiming at semiconductor manufacturing. We targeted a particular segment, which has 60 per cent of market volume, using a targeted approach. Today, we have six units under construction. The first Made in India chip of 28–90 nm will roll out this year. We started manufacturing in 2022,' Vaishnaw said.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Sarvam and IndiaAI Mission: All you need to know for UPSC Exam
Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your knowledge nugget for today on Sarvam and IndiaAI Mission. (Relevance: Today, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword. India has also launched an AI mission and promised to make heavy investments in an indigenous AI language model. In this context, the selection of Sarvam to build the country's first indigenous AI LLM holds great importance. Additionally, UPSC has previously asked questions on AI in CSE Prelims, but as the scope and potential of AI widen, it becomes important for you to understand all its dimensions, along with India's actions and concerns.) The government has selected Bengaluru-based start-up Sarvam to build the country's first indigenous artificial intelligence (AI) large language model (LLM) amid waves made by China's low cost model DeepSeek. The start-up, chosen from among 67 applicants, will receive support from the government in terms of compute resources to build the model from scratch. 1. Sarvam is the first start-up to get approved for sops under India's ambitious Rs 10,370 crore IndiaAI Mission to build a model, with the government currently assessing hundreds of other proposals. 2. Sarvam said its model will be capable of reasoning, designed for voice, and fluent in Indian languages, and it will be ready for population-scale deployment. 3. A senior official said in terms of government support, the company will receive access to 4,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) for six months for the company to build and train its model. 4. The model is not expected to be open-sourced, but will be fine-tuned particularly for Indian languages. The GPUs will be provided to Sarvam by companies separately selected by the government to set up AI data centres in India. 5. As part of Sarvam's LLM proposal, the company is developing three model variants: (i) Sarvam-Large for advanced reasoning and generation (ii) Sarvam-Small for real-time interactive applications (iii) Sarvam-Edge for compact on-device tasks 6. Sarvam's model will be built, deployed, and optimised in India, using local infrastructure and developed by a new generation of Indian talent. This initiative aims to promote strategic autonomy, accelerate domestic innovation, and secure India's leadership in AI for the long term, the company said in a press statement. 1. The IndiaAI Mission seeks to create a comprehensive ecosystem that encourages AI innovation by democratising computing access, improving data quality, developing indigenous AI capabilities, attracting top AI talent, facilitating industry collaboration, providing startup risk capital, ensuring socially impactful AI projects, and promoting ethical AI. 2. Objectives of the mission are: — To implement intelligent systems in a variety of decision-making processes, improve connection, and increase productivity. — To apply intelligent systems to meet India's societal demands in sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture, smart cities, infrastructure, and mobility. — To generate new information and build novel applications for intelligent systems. 3. This mission promotes the responsible and inclusive growth of India's AI ecosystem through the following seven pillars: (i) IndiaAI Compute Capacity (ii) IndiaAI Innovation Centre (iii) IndiaAI Datasets platform (iv) IndiaAI Application development initiative (v) IndiaAI Future skills (vi) IndiaAI Startup Financing (vii) Safe and Trusted AI Challenges associated with IndiaAI 1. Limited AI expertise and lack of investment to implement AI solutions 2. Lack of AI and cloud computing infrastructure 3. Lack of data and poor data quality 4. Data security and privacy issues 5. Lack of integrity and ethics with AI and ML solutions 1. According to Google, LLMs are large general-purpose language models that can be pre-trained and then fine-tuned for specific purposes. In simple words, these models are trained to solve common language problems such as text classification, question answering, text generation across industries, document summarisation, etc. 2. The LLMs can also be tailored to solve specific problems in a variety of domains such as finance, retail, entertainment, etc., using perhaps a relatively small size of field datasets. 3. The meaning of LLMs can be understood with its three primary features. Firstly, the 'Large' indicates two meanings — the enormous size of training data; and the parameter count. In Machine Learning, parameters, also known as hyperparameters, are essentially the memories and knowledge that a machine learned during its model training. Parameters define the skill of the model in solving a specific problem. 4. The second most important thing to understand about LLM is the General Purpose. This means the model is sufficient to solve general problems that are based on the commonality of human language regardless of specific tasks, and resource restrictions. 5. In essence, an LLM is like a super smart computer program that can comprehend and create human-like text. It is trained on massive data sets which are essentially patterns, structures, and relationships with languages. An LLM can also be seen as a tool that helps computers understand and produce human language. With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? (UPSC CSE 2020) 1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units 2. Create meaningful short stories and songs 3. Disease diagnosis 4. Text-to-Speech Conversion 5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only (b) 1, 3 and 4 only (c) 2, 4 and 5 only (d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (Sources: Centre selects start-up Sarvam to build country's first homegrown AI model, Explained: What is an LLM, the backbone of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini?) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for May 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Roshni Yadav is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over five years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: ... Read More
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
RBI's new directive to NBFCs; Oyo's third IPO attempt
The RBI has tightened rules on default loss guarantees (DLGs), a move that is likely to hit digital lenders hard. This and more in today's ETtech Top 5. Also in the letter: ■ Info Edge Q4 results ■ Sarvam's LLM gets muted response■ Bengaluru tech workforce crosses 1 million RBI tightens default loss guarantee rule; NBFCs to exclude cover on fintech-sourced loans The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) to exclude default loss guarantees (DLGs) provided by fintech partners when provisioning for bad loans. What's changing? NBFCs will no longer factor in the typical 5% guarantee from digital lending partners to reduce provisioning on stressed loans. This marks a significant shift that could dent both origination volumes and fee income for fintechs. The RBI wants NBFCs to: Strengthen underwriting practices. Curb systemic risks. Avoid over-reliance on fintechs. The move follows cases where fintechs failed to honour DLGs, leaving NBFCs exposed to losses. Who's affected? Digital lending partners such as:These firms act as lending service providers and typically offer DLGs of up to 5%, often backed by fixed deposits lien-marked in favour of NBFCs. These guarantees act as credit cushions and are usually factored into expected credit losses (ECL) calculations. When's the deadline? NBFCs must comply by September 30, treating fintech-originated loans as if there is no credit enhancement. Some NBFCs have already begun adjusting provisions from Q4 FY25. Also Read: Listed fintechs feel the pinch of lenders going slow on unsecured lending The impact: NBFCs: Higher provisions, leading to reduced appetite for fintech-originated credit. Higher provisions, leading to reduced appetite for fintech-originated credit. Fintechs: Likely decline in originations and income. Likely decline in originations and income. Borrowers: Stricter access to unsecured credit. This directive is part of the RBI's broader crackdown on hidden risks in India's rapidly growing digital lending ecosystem. It also serves as a nudge for NBFCs to shoulder the risk they underwrite, instead of outsourcing it. Also Read: Stuck digital lenders look to RBI to ease unsecured loan rules Oyo to meet bankers next week for third IPO attempt; eyes $5-7 billion valuation Ritesh Agarwal, CEO, Oyo Oravel Stays Ltd, the parent company of hospitality startup Oyo, is set to formally review proposals from merchant bankers next week as it prepares for a fresh attempt at an initial public offering (IPO), according to multiple people familiar with the development. Verbatim: 'During the preliminary discussions, some bankers proposed that the company could get valued as high as $10 billion for its public issue, but the company's realistic expectation is around $6-7 billion,' a source said. More details: The company is in talks with Indian and global banks. It aims to file its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) between August and September, with a public listing targeted for March or April 2026, according to sources. This will be Oyo's third attempt at going public. It first filed with the Securities and Exchange Board of India in 2021, aiming for an Rs 8,430 crore IPO, but withdrew in 2022. A second filing, made confidentially in 2023, was also withdrawn in 2024. Recent fundraise: In August, Oyo raised Rs 1,457 crore from a group of investors at a significantly reduced valuation. In December, it secured $825 million in debt from Deutsche Bank to fund its $525 million acquisition of US motel chain Motel 6. Sponsor ETtech Top 5 & Morning Dispatch! Why it matters: ETtech Top 5 and Morning Dispatch are must-reads for India's tech and business leaders, including startup founders, investors, policy makers, industry insiders and employees. The opportunity: Reach a highly engaged audience of decision-makers. Boost your brand's visibility among the tech-savvy community. Custom sponsorship options to align with your brand's goals. What's next: Interested? Reach out to us at spotlightpartner@ to explore sponsorship opportunities. Info Edge Q4 revenue rises 14% to Rs 750 crore; net profit surges 8x to Rs 678 crore Sanjeev Bikhchandani, cofounder, Info Edge parent Info Edge posted a 14% year-on-year (YoY) increase in operating revenue for the March quarter, driven by robust growth across both recruitment and non-recruitment businesses. Financials: Operating revenue (Q4): Rs 750 crore. Rs 750 crore. Net profit (Q4): Rs 678 crore, up from Rs 88 crore a year ago. Rs 678 crore, up from Rs 88 crore a year ago. Revenue (FY25): Rs 2,849 crore, up 12% YoY. Rs 2,849 crore, up 12% YoY. Net profit (FY25): Rs 1,310 crore, more than double the Rs 594 crore reported in FY24. Rs 1,310 crore, more than double the Rs 594 crore reported in FY24. Total expenses (FY25): Rs 539 crore, compared to Rs 469 crore in FY24. Employee benefits: Rs 331 crore. Advertising and promotion costs: Rs 100 crore. Rs 539 crore, compared to Rs 469 crore in FY24. Revenue breakdown: Recruitment solutions (including : Rs 542 crore, up 13% YoY. : Rs 542 crore, up 13% YoY. 99Acres (real estate portal): Rs 106 crore, up 14%. Rs 106 crore, up 14%. Other businesses (including and : Rs 101 crore, up nearly 20%. Also Read: Info Edge shareholders approve Rs 1,000 crore investment in its VC fund Sarvam AI unveils multilingual LLM; low traction poses questions on India's AI scene Indian AI startup Sarvam AI, the first company chosen by the government to build a homegrown foundational model, has launched its open-source large language model (LLM). However, the early reception has been muted, with only a few hundred downloads in the initial days. About the model: Sarvam claims its LLM, Sarvam M, performs well on benchmarks in mathematics, programming, and 11 Indian languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, and Malayalam. The model supports a hybrid reasoning mode for tackling complex logical reasoning problems, as well as mathematical and coding tasks. Additionally, it features a non-think mode for general-purpose conversation. According to the company, Sarvam M outperforms similarly sized models on coding and math benchmarks. No traction: The model, released on Hugging Face, recorded just over 300 downloads at launch. As of May 27, the number had increased to 1,200. The lukewarm response has reignited debate over India's place in the global AI race, particularly with rivals such as DeepSeek and OpenAI. Frinks AI raises $5.4 million: Frinks AI has raised $5.4 million in a new funding round led by Prime Venture Partners. Founded by IIT Hyderabad alumni Aditya Agrawal, Dharmgya Sharma, and Subhra S Bhattacherjee, Frinks AI is a deep-tech startup developing next-generation vision AI systems for industrial automation and quality control. Contineu raises $1.2 million: Deeptech startup Contineu has raised $1.2 million in a seed funding round led by SenseAI Ventures, with Piper Serica Angel Fund participating. Founded in 2023, the startup automates data entry on construction sites through its platform, utilising helmet-mounted cameras and 3D computer vision models. Technology workforce in Bengaluru crosses one-million mark; IT city among 12 global tech hubs: CBRE Bengaluru is now among the top 12 global technology hubs, joining the ranks of Beijing, Boston, London, New York, and Toronto, as its technology workforce has crossed the one million mark. Details: According to a report by real estate consultant CBRE, Bengaluru's tech talent scale rivals that of the US hubs of San Francisco and New York. The city ranks fourth among the 12 tech markets in terms of the share of its working-age population. 75% of Bengaluru's falls in this productive age group. Between 2019 and 2024, Bengaluru saw a 2.4% increase in its working population. The city also leads in terms of AI development talent. In 2024, Bengaluru attracted 140 venture capital (VC) deals worth $3.3 billion. Updated On May 27, 2025, 07:30 PM IST
