India’s Sarvam wants to bring its AI models to feature phones, cars and smart glasses

Indian AI firm Sarvam is set to expand the reach of its innovative AI models by integrating them into feature phones, automobiles, and its own smart eyewear. At the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, the company announced its collaboration with prominent investors such as Lightspeed, PeakXV, and Khosla Ventures to make AI more accessible. Using cutting-edge edge AI technology, Sarvam's models require minimal storage and can operate on most existing mobile processors, even offline. In partnership with HMD, the company is developing a conversational AI assistant for Nokia-branded devices. A demonstration highlighted a feature phone user engaging with the AI assistant in their local language, seeking information on government initiatives and local market conditions. While specifics on the offline capabilities of all showcased features remain unclear, Tushar Goswamy, Sarvam's head of Edge AI, emphasized the company's mission to embed intelligence into every device, from phones and laptops to cars and emerging technology. He revealed Sarvam's collaboration with Qualcomm to optimize their models for various chipsets. Qualcomm is also working on a “Sovereign AI Experience Suite” designed for a multitude of devices, including smartphones, computers, vehicles, and IoT gadgets. Vivek Raghwan, co-founder and CEO of Sarvam, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating it would expedite the transition of sovereign AI from concept to practical application, ensuring data security and scalability. Additionally, Sarvam is collaborating with Bosch, a leader in engineering, to introduce AI assistants into vehicles, although further details on this initiative have yet to be disclosed. The startup also unveiled its AI-powered smart glasses, named Sarvam Kaze, which are set to launch in May. Co-founder Pratyush Kumar described these glasses as a tool for creators, showcasing Sarvam’s shift from primarily serving enterprise clients to targeting consumer applications.