Sarvam, an Indian startup specializing in developing models for regional languages and users, launched its Indus chat application for both web and mobile platforms on Friday, marking its entry into a rapidly expanding market that is currently led by global entities such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.

This release arrives as India emerges as a crucial arena for the adoption of generative AI. Recently, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman stated that ChatGPT boasts over 100 million weekly active users in India, while Anthropic mentioned that India makes up 5.8% of total Claude usage, trailing only the U.S.

Indus acts as a chat interface for the newly launched Sarvam 105B model, which is the company’s large language model with 105 billion parameters. This app’s debut follows the unveiling of the 105B and 30B models by Bengaluru-based Sarvam at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi just two days prior. During the summit, the startup detailed its enterprise strategies and hardware plans, as well as collaborations with companies like HMD to integrate AI into Nokia feature phones and Bosch for AI-driven automotive solutions.

Now in beta testing on iOS, Android, and the web, the Indus app enables users to type or voice their queries and receive replies in both text and audio formats. Users can log in via their phone number, Google or Microsoft accounts, or Apple ID, although the service is currently seemingly restricted to India.

The app has certain limitations at present. Users do not have the ability to erase their chat history without also deleting their accounts, and there is no option to disable the app’s reasoning functionality, which may occasionally impede response times. Sarvam has also cautioned that access could be limited as it incrementally boosts its computing capacity.

“We are gradually introducing Indus with a limited compute capacity, so you may experience a waitlist initially. We will enhance access as time progresses,” Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar noted on X, adding that the firm is looking for feedback from users.

Established in 2023, Sarvam has secured $41 million to date from backers such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners, and Khosla Ventures, as it develops extensive language models suited for the Indian market.

Sarvam stands among a growing but limited cohort of Indian startups striving to create homegrown alternatives to international artificial intelligence platforms as India aims for enhanced control over its AI infrastructure.