SARVAM AI
GPU bidding norms eased; Lenskart CEO on profitability
Happy Thursday! Govt has lowered entry barriers for GPU bidders, but pricing concerns remain. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
Sarvam AI releases Prism, a fast decision model for enterprises: Here’s how it works
Sarvam AI has unveiled Prism, a sophisticated decision-making model aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and precision for businesses. With its ability to render quick, structured decisions from a set of defined choices, Prism recorded an average performance score of 71.8 and processed responses in just 44 milliseconds during evaluations. Organizations can effortlessly tailor Prism using their own datasets, making it adaptable and straightforward.
A desi AI kill chain? Indian military steps towards battlefield AI
India's armed forces are working alongside Sarvam AI to establish a unified framework for military operations. The initiative focuses on improving battlefield intelligence, refining target acquisition, and streamlining decision-making across all service branches. Emphasizing a blend of cutting-edge technology and human judgment, this project signifies India’s dedication to enhancing its sovereign AI resources in the defense arena, with promising implications for operational effectiveness and data management.
Why big IT firms are buying stakes in AI startups
From HCLTech's $150 million investment in Indian AI startup Sarvam to Accenture's investment in Within, an enterprise AI company, IT firms are backing AI companies to access new technology and offer it to their clients.
Exclusive | Cognizant in talks to invest in Indian AI startup Sarvam valuing it at $3.5-4 billion: sources
Cognizant’s potential investment in Sarvam comes as advances in agentic AI raise questions about the future of the IT services industry. AI agents are increasingly capable of automating tasks across software development, application maintenance and back-office operations, potentially disrupting traditional outsourcing models.
Cognizant eyes Sarvam stake; Ather aims for higher market share
Happy Wednesday! Cognizant has held discussions to invest in homegrown AI startup Sarvam. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
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Sarvam enters defence AI with projects across Army, Navy and Air Force
Chanakya, Sarvam's firewalled division for national security and defence, will carry out the projects. The unit will use Sarvam's AI stack, including its Sarvam 105B foundation model.
Unacademy cofounder Gaurav Munjal pushes back against criticism of Indian VCs
Munjal cited companies such as Astrotalk, Airbound and Sarvam AI as examples of startups that have been able to raise capital and grow quickly. He also pointed to the success of companies such as Groww, Eternal and Meesho.
India needs AI that no one else can switch off: Andrew Ng
Ng’s argument places “continued access” at the centre of the sovereignty debate. In his view, the country where a model was developed matters less than whether governments and businesses can keep using it without depending on another entity’s permission.
AI startup Simplismart in talks to raise $40-50 million; valuation may triple
Simplismart, an innovative AI infrastructure startup, is in talks to secure between $40 and $50 million in funding, which could potentially boost its valuation from $100-120 million up to $300-400 million. Notable investors like Peak XV Partners and Damac Digital are eyeing stakes in the company, which was established by ex-Oracle and Google engineers.
I’ll believe it when I see it: Figma boss on AI restraint calls
“It’s a nice thing to say, and I’ll believe it when I see it,” the 33-year-old Field -- one of the youngest American billionaires --told ET in an interview in Bengaluru. The NYSE listed firm with a market cap of $11 billion, famously rejected a $20 billion acquisition bid from Adobe. While AI tools are getting more advanced and capable, one can’t outsource their creative thinking to AI as there will be “no differentiated work” anymore in the world.
India’s family offices bet on homegrown AI firms to gain ground
India’s tech landscape is witnessing an influx of investments from family offices and wealthy individuals. Key players like Premji Invest and Claypond Capital are funding promising AI startups. With at least six companies achieving unicorn status, the environment for AI is becoming increasingly supportive. This shift highlights the need for sustained investment in India’s AI ecosystem. The growth potential is significant, despite challenges in funding and competition.
Sarvam plans big fundraise; HCLTech's Q2 profit jumps
Happy Tuesday! Sarvam is in talks for a big round that could double its valuation to $3 billion. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
AI startup Sarvam in talks for $300 million top-up; valuation may double to $3 billion
The startup builds Indian-language AI models and applications for government agencies and businesses, including banks and insurers. Its customers include Life Insurance Corp. of India, SBI Life, IDFC First Bank, Tata Capital and Cred. Maharashtra has approved deployment of Sarvam’s Indus AI workspace across departments for drafting, translation and document analysis, with government data hosted within India.
ETSA 2026: Over a decade on, India's startup story is only getting started
The 12th edition of The Economic Times Startup Awards (ETSA) captured this transition, reflecting an ecosystem that has moved beyond the race for scale to pursue technological depth, durable businesses and international markets.
ElevenLabs hears a global tune in Indian voice AI deployments
ElevenLabs, recently valued at $22 billion, is expanding its research, engineering, and deployment teams in the country, which is now its second-largest market, with over 250 enterprise clients. Staniszewski expects voice agents to move beyond customer support into sales and operations, with India potentially leading some of those applications.
The economics of India's biggest export industry goes topsy-turvy
India’s $315-billion IT industry faces a structural shift as AI boosts productivity but puts pressure on pricing, revenue and entry-level hiring. Clients are demanding more output for less, while spending shifts towards AI, cloud and in-house capabilities.
Nikhil Kamath has a '100' funding message for startups: Zerodha co-founder backs post urging startups to raise enough money to stay comfortable for “a year or two” as “next year could be bad”
Nikhil Kamath advice for startups: The Zerodha co-founder expressed agreement with a warning that startups should raise capital soon due to uncertain conditions. A social media post highlighted the importance of securing enough money for the next one or two years. India’s funding environment is experiencing a decline in deal volume but an increase in total funding amounts. The focus is shifting towards larger funding rounds amidst challenging market conditions.
Former Elevation Capital partner Mayank Khanduja joins Silicon Valley VC Bessemer in India
Khanduja, who left Elevation Capital in January, will focus on early-stage investments at Bessemer, working with founders from their first institutional funding round, the firm said.
Peak XV’s Surge programme selects 18 startups for 12th cohort after revamp
The new cohort announcement comes as the VC firm revamps Surge, bringing it closer to the firm’s broader early-stage investment practice and increasing the amount it can invest in a company to as much as $5 million.
Too early to write India off in the global AI race: Andreessen Horowitz’s Raghu Raghuram
India has few frontier AI model companies and limited computing capacity, but according to a16z managing partner Raghu Raghuram, the country should not be written off. In an interview with ET, Raghuram said Indian startups could first build services on open-weight models before eventually developing their own.
Govt’s frontier AI push; Insurance stock rout continues
The government is weighing an anchor investment for a frontier AI development fund. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
Sarvam AI updates vision model, doubles down on Indic-language push
Sarvam launched the original vision model in February as part of its efforts to build homegrown, "sovereign" AI systems tailored to India. The model was designed to read scanned documents and images and convert them into usable digital text, a task known as optical character recognition (OCR).
Govt eyes Rs 20,000 crore fund to power up frontier AI and compute ecosystem
The proposed National Frontier AI & Compute Fund (NFAICF) under the IndiaAI Mission is still under consultation, and its final size, structure, governance and the role of government capital are yet to be decided, people aware of the discussions told ET.
Retaining talent key to India's AI rise: Salesforce's Vala Afshar
There is a gravitational pull to recruit the best and brightest, which are being pursued globally by technology firms like Salesforce, Vala Afshar told ET on the sidelines of Dreamforce in San Francisco. The tech talent drain isn’t new and has been happening for years, he said, adding that what’s changed is that Indian software founders who once kept most of their teams at home and sent a single leader abroad to lead sales, now want to base themselves in San Francisco “from day one” and build their teams there.
India’s chip push draws global interest; Quick comm's ad blitz
India’s semiconductor push is gaining global attention as the country looks to build a stronger chip manufacturing ecosystem. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
Voice AI models struggle to understand speech, creating challenges for robot training: Humyn Labs
Voice AI models frequently encounter hurdles when it comes to grasping the intricacies of human speech. Variances in dialects and overlapping conversations can lead to significant transcription inaccuracies. Furthermore, extended silences may disrupt the models' ability to retain contextual relevance, undermining performance. This lack of precision can diminish user satisfaction and impact automation in real-world AI settings, making effective voice processing essential for collaborative robots working with humans.
AI-focused VC firm Activate closes maiden fund at $105 million
The investment platform comprises an $85 million early-stage fund and $20 million deployed through dedicated growth-stage vehicles. The early-stage fund closed at 125% above its original target, Vaish told ET. The fund, founded in December 2025 by Vaish and former Together Fund investor Pratyush Choudhury, has made 10 investments since its first close in December 2025.
GFF 2026: Mahindra Finance scales Sarvam voice AI partnership to 1 crore calls across 12 languages
Mahindra Finance and Sarvam are deploying voice AI agents across India. These agents have completed over one crore calls in twelve Indian languages. The AI handles customer interactions for sales, collections, and employee feedback. This collaboration aims to scale customer-first financial services effectively.
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