In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Pratyush Kumar, Co-Founder of Sarvam AI, noted that the company is dedicated to establishing an India-first AI ecosystem while promoting the commercial adoption of its offerings.
When asked if the Government of India intended to invest in the firm, Kumar refrained from confirming any discussions but mentioned that Sarvam would be receptive to such an opportunity.
Kumar commented, “I’m happy to provide further insights once we have more official confirmation of that.” He elaborated, “Investments and ownership require more in-depth conversations, but we are open to exploring this.”
Kumar emphasized the government’s vital role through the IndiaAI Mission, which has backed the creation of the company’s initial AI model, adding that sovereign AI has become a major priority for India.
“India definitely needs an alternative. The timeline for when export controls may take effect remains uncertain. Today, there are accessible Chinese models. Perhaps next year there won’t be,” Kumar stated. “We are firmly an India-first entity.”
Despite the recent funding success, Kumar indicated that Sarvam will persist in attracting investors, as developing AI infrastructure demands substantial investment.
“Naturally, we will continue to raise funds,” he remarked. “Capital is one of the essential components… you need these accelerators for running AI GPUs, which are not inexpensive.”
He highlighted that the firm’s primary focus is on ensuring that investments in AI infrastructure yield commercial returns by enhancing efficiency and addressing genuine business challenges.
“We are very confident that we are at a stage where we can leverage this opportunity, showcase our successes, and continue investment to create an Indian alternative to AI infrastructure,” Kumar asserted.
Kumar mentioned that Sarvam is now embarking on a new phase aimed at commercial scalability after successfully showcasing its AI research capabilities.
“Revenue is really on the rise, not just due to our new launches, but also from products that have been active in the market over recent quarters,” he noted.
He added that the next phase for the company would concentrate on increasing enterprise adoption by providing AI infrastructure, foundational models, and tailored applications for businesses. Sarvam also envisions significant potential in the public sector and strategic industries, where organizations need AI systems capable of operating within their own infrastructure to comply with security standards.
The startup is also experiencing an uptick in user adoption as it advances its commercialization efforts.
“We recently hosted a buildathon, and nearly a million users are now on our platform, utilizing various elements of our technology stack,” Kumar shared. “This phase is seeing a surge in platform usage. We gather feedback and iterate rapidly.”
Kumar further added that Sarvam is aiming to strengthen research collaborations with top academic and research institutions as organizations assess the best methods to adopt artificial intelligence.
Sarvam’s ambitious growth strategy follows Nvidia’s leadership in a $74 million investment into the firm, part of a broader $300 million funding round that values the startup at approximately $1.5 billion.
The company already trains its AI models using Nvidia hardware and has recently stated it has access to around 2,000 Blackwell GPUs, with ambitions to increase that to 10,000. Additionally, it has announced a partnership with HCLTech to develop a sovereign data center in Odisha as it endeavors to establish AI infrastructure in India.
