Indian AI company Sarvam plans to bring its newly released AI models to users by deploying them on Nokia feature phones, cars, and its own smartglasses. The company, backed by investors like Lightspeed, PeakXV, and Khosla Ventures, announced at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi that it is using edge models. These models take up only megabytes of space, can run on most phones with existing processors, and can work offline.
Sarvam is teaming up with HMD to bring a conversational AI assistant to Nokia and HMD phones. A video demonstration showed a user clicking a dedicated AI button on a feature phone to converse with an AI assistant in a local language. The assistant provided guidance on topics like government schemes or local markets. It is not clear if all the AI features showcased at the event will work offline.
Tushar Goswamy, head of Edge AI at Sarvam, stated during a presentation that the company aims to bring intelligence to every phone, laptop, car, and a new generation of devices through edge AI. He mentioned that Sarvam has worked with Qualcomm to tune its models for Qualcomm’s chipsets. While Sarvam did not provide details on which specific devices the models will be deployed to, Qualcomm noted it is developing a “Sovereign AI Experience Suite” for a range of devices including phones, PCs, laptops, cars, and IoT devices.
Vivek Raghwan, co-founder and CEO of Sarvam, commented on the collaboration, saying it can accelerate how the company takes sovereign AI from research to deployment. This partnership will allow Sarvam to design models and applications that run closer to the edge, safeguard data, and are ready for adoption at scale.
Sarvam also revealed it is working with German engineering giant Bosch to bring AI assistants to cars, though further details were not disclosed. Additionally, the startup showcased a pair of AI smartglasses, called Sarvam Kaze, which are designed and manufactured in India. Co-founder Pratyush Kumar described the glasses as a “builders’ device” and said they will be available in May.
Historically, Sarvam has operated largely in the enterprise market, offering its voice-focused models for use cases like customer support. These new models and partnerships signal a shift in the company’s focus towards consumer applications.