HomeSarvam launches Indus AI chat app as competition intensifies
Sarvam, an Indian AI startup specializing in models for local languages and users, launched its Indus chat app for web and mobile on Friday, entering a fast-growing market dominated by global players like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
The launch arrives as India becomes a key battleground for generative AI adoption. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently noted that ChatGPT has over 100 million weekly active users in India, while Anthropic reported that India accounts for 5.8% of all Claude usage, second only to the U.S.
Indus serves as a chat interface for the company’s newly announced Sarvam 105B model, a 105-billion-parameter large language model. The app’s debut comes two days after Bengaluru-based Sarvam unveiled its 105B and 30B models at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi earlier this week. At the summit, the startup also outlined enterprise initiatives and hardware plans, announcing partnerships with companies including HMD to bring AI to Nokia feature phones, and Bosch for AI-powered automotive applications.
Currently available in beta on iOS, Android, and the web, the Indus app lets users type or speak queries and receive responses in text and audio. Users can sign in with their phone number, Google account, or Apple ID, though the service appears to be limited to India for now.
Image Credit: Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch The app currently comes with some limitations. Users cannot delete their chat history without deleting their account, and there is no option to turn off the app’s reasoning feature, which can sometimes slow response times. Sarvam has also warned that access may be restricted as it gradually expands its compute capacity.
“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,” Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar wrote on X, adding that the company is seeking user feedback.
Founded in 2023, Sarvam has raised $41 million to date from investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners, and Khosla Ventures as it builds large language models tailored for India.
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Boston, MA|June 9, 2026REGISTER NOWSarvam is one of a small but growing group of Indian startups trying to build domestic alternatives to global AI platforms as India seeks greater control over its AI infrastructure.
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Sarvam, an Indian AI startup specializing in models for local languages and users, launched its Indus chat app for web and mobile on Friday, entering a fast-growing market dominated by global players like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
The launch arrives as India becomes a key battleground for generative AI adoption. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently noted that ChatGPT has over 100 million weekly active users in India, while Anthropic reported that India accounts for 5.8% of all Claude usage, second only to the U.S.
Indus serves as a chat interface for the company’s newly announced Sarvam 105B model, a 105-billion-parameter large language model. The app’s debut comes two days after Bengaluru-based Sarvam unveiled its 105B and 30B models at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi earlier this week. At the summit, the startup also outlined enterprise initiatives and hardware plans, announcing partnerships with companies including HMD to bring AI to Nokia feature phones, and Bosch for AI-powered automotive applications.
Currently available in beta on iOS, Android, and the web, the Indus app lets users type or speak queries and receive responses in text and audio. Users can sign in with their phone number, Google account, or Apple ID, though the service appears to be limited to India for now.
The app currently comes with some limitations. Users cannot delete their chat history without deleting their account, and there is no option to turn off the app’s reasoning feature, which can sometimes slow response times. Sarvam has also warned that access may be restricted as it gradually expands its compute capacity.
“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,” Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar wrote on X, adding that the company is seeking user feedback.
Founded in 2023, Sarvam has raised $41 million to date from investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners, and Khosla Ventures as it builds large language models tailored for India.
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Offer ends March 13.
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