Sarvam, an AI startup in Bengaluru, has been selected by the Government of India’s IndiaAI mission to construct India’s first independent LLM (large language model). This grants Sarvam AI access to crucial compute resources for building this foundational, home-grown model.

This AI company has rapidly grown from a research lab. It will now build a safe and ready to be used voice-based AI from scratch with the ability to reason and speak multiple Indian languages.

Dr Vivek Raghavan, Co-founder of Sarvam, said, “We are humbled by the responsibility bestowed upon us to build India’s sovereign model, and we are ready to build AI that reaches every corner of the country. This is a crucial step toward building critical national AI infrastructure. Our goal is to build multi-modal, multi-scale foundation models from scratch. When we do, a universe of applications unfolds”.

Raghavan suggests that interacting with AI will feel natural and familiar to citizens, while businesses can leverage its intelligence without transferring their data internationally.

This indigenous AI model will be built, deployed, and optimised in India using local resources and developed by a new generation of Indian talent. The IndiaAI Mission aims to achieve strategic autonomy and enhance domestic innovation, securing India’s future leadership in AI.

Dr Pratyush Kumar, co-founder of Sarvam, said, “Building an AI ecosystem for India has always been core to Sarvam’s mission, where our research, technology, and models empower builders to create solutions for the country. As part of the Sovereign LLM proposal, we are developing three model variants: Sarvam-Large for advanced reasoning and generation, Sarvam-Small for real-time interactive applications, and Sarvam-Edge for compact on-device tasks”.

Kumar mentioned a collaboration with AI4Bharat at IIT Madras, a leading Indian language AI research group, to develop these models.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Railways, and Information & Broadcasting, said, “We are confident that Sarvam’s models will be competitive with global models”.

Source:

https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/artificial-intelligence/sarvam-ai-to-build-indias-first-sovereign-llm-with-reasoning-and-voice-capabilities-9967108/

Databricks, a global data, analytics, and AI (artificial intelligence) company, plans to invest over $250 million in India to fuel advancements in AI. Also, planning to increase hiring. This move contributes to the growing trend of Western tech and AI firms expanding their presence in India.

Founded in 2013, San Francisco’s Databricks develops data software essential for the booming AI landscape.  revealed plans to increase its India team by over 50%, aiming for about 750 employees by the end of the fiscal year. This growth involves doubling the engineering staff at its new Bangalore R&D centre to over 200. This expansion adds to Databricks’ existing R&D locations in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Mountain View, California. 

Rochana Golani, vice president of learning and enablement at Databricks, said, “India is emerging as a global AI talent hub”.

Vinod Marur, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Databricks, said, “Our investment in R&D in India, and particularly in Bengaluru, reflects our belief in the extraordinary technical talent found here”.

Marur also stated that the company intends to recruit over 100 R&D engineers at its newly established research centre in Bengaluru.

Earlier this year, Databricks secured over $15 billion in equity and debt from investors ranging from Meta Platforms Inc. to Singaporean and Qatari investment funds. Despite its $62 billion valuation, the firm is still a private entity.

Databricks is set to establish an AI and data academy in India, aiming to equip 500,000 partners and customers with relevant skills within the next three years.

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-24/databricks-to-hire-hundreds-in-india-to-accelerate-ai-boom

DPS (Delhi Public School) Indirapuram has launched India’s first Institutional AI (artificial intelligence) & Robotics Lab to revolutionise students’ learning. 

By merging cutting-edge technology with classroom education, this initiative provides an immersive early exposure to artificial intelligence and robotics. This will greatly reshape students’ learning journey in these rapidly advancing sectors.

At DPS Indirapuram’s AI & Robotics Lab, students dive into the fascinating world of advanced technology. Students will get live demonstrations featuring humanoid robots and robotic dogs bringing AI and robotics to life. It will showcase their incredible potential across various fields, including healthcare, space exploration, and entertainment. 

This hands-on approach aims to spark curiosity and make complex concepts both accessible and inspiring for young students, revealing the real-world impact of these technologies.

The launch of this high-tech facility was attended by eminent figures, including Aman Gupta (boAt), Abhishek Bansal, Girish Kr Sachdev, and Priya Elizabeth John (DPS Indirapuram). Their presence at the launch highlighted its significance for empowering students in technology.

The AI & Robotics Lab will provide DPS Indirapuram students with hands-on AI and robotics experience, nurturing coding, design, and development skills through building and programming robots. 

Principal Priya Elizabeth John called it a “doorway to the future” that will empower students to innovate and shape tomorrow’s world. This lab highlights DPS Indirapuram’s commitment to making students future-ready.

Source: https://www.shiksha.com/news/boards-dps-indirapuram-launches-india-s-first-institutional-ai-robotics-lab-blogId-197162

The (MSDE) Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Microsoft have partnered through an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to launch ‘AI Careers for Women,’ a skilling initiative to empower women in higher education for AI (artificial intelligence) careers. 

This collaboration aims to bridge the gender gap in tech, equip women with relevant AI skills, and enable their participation in India’s digital economy and innovation.

This MSDE-Microsoft partnership will provide women with 240 hours of AI skills training, aligned with industry standards and NCVET. The training involves state higher education departments, delivered via a hub-and-spoke model across 30 Hubs and 150 Spokes (Tier-II/III towns in 6 states).

Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), MSDE and Ministry of Education said, “This initiative exemplifies how government and industry can come together to shape an inclusive and future-ready workforce. Our partnership with Microsoft underlines the Ministry’s commitment to expanding opportunities for women in emerging tech fields like AI. By embedding this program within credit-linked university curricula and aligning it with the National Education Policy (NEP), we’re reimagining 21st-century learning, making it flexible, interdisciplinary, and deeply rooted in industry needs. Empowering young women with in-demand digital skills will not only transform individual careers but also accelerate the nation’s journey toward a more equitable and innovation-driven economy.”

Edunet Foundation will implement ‘AI Careers for Women,’ collaborating with academic, government, corporate, and industry partners to create ecosystem change and provide AI skills and economic opportunities for women. This will boost their workforce participation.

The program will establish 30 AI Centres of Excellence in women’s institutions (hub centres) across 6 states in India and support 150 spoke centres in Tier-II and Tier-III towns. It will offer in-depth AI training with hands-on experience to equip 20,000 learners with industry-relevant skills and project experience through expert training, certifications, internships, career guidance, and job opportunities in AI.

Source: https://indiatechnologynews.in/ministry-of-skill-development-and-entrepreneurship-msde-and-microsoft-comes-together-launch-ai-careers-for-women-by-establishing-centers-of-excellence-in-women-colleges-across-six/

Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the Adani Group, announced a massive $10 billion (₹85,378 crore) investment in Indian data centres, which aims for 10gw capacity.

According to Bloomberg, Adani’s upcoming data centre venture will target international clients, including government contracts, and notes ongoing land acquisition in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat. The report also mentions Mukesh Ambani’s 1gw data centre project in the same region, in collaboration with Nvidia.

Building more data centres will enhance Adani’s existing infrastructure, which includes a ₹500 billion project in Maharashtra. This expansion aims to capitalise on the strong need for AI infrastructure created by India’s booming AI services, while also diversifying Adani’s business interests.

The data centres are also anticipated to benefit from Adani’s current telecom offerings for businesses. Although Adani secured 5G mmWave spectrum in the auction with Reliance Jio and Airtel, it remains unavailable to the general public.

Adani’s data centres aim to boost India’s booming server capacity. Rival Ambani also builds data centres for diverse needs via Jio. Global giants like Google and Microsoft are expanding their Indian data centres due to high demand and data rules. This growth can fuel Digital India and India’s rise as an AI hub.

Despite a global slowdown in AI investment following DeepSeek’s budget-friendly DeepSeek R1 (much cheaper than GPT-4), Adani is investing heavily. OpenAI’s cheaper GPT-4.1 further underscores this cost-conscious trend.

Source: https://www.republicworld.com/tech/adani-bets-over-85378-crore-on-ai-future-in-massive-data-centre-push-in-india

AI Kiran, a Kirthiga Reddy initiative with government and industry support, will empower 1 million Indian women in AI (artificial intelligence) through mentorship, learning, global exposure, blockchain-verified recognition, and key partnerships to build women leaders.

Fifteen years ago, Kirthiga Reddy became the first Indian leader at a major US tech firm, heading Facebook India (now Meta). Her subsequent roles as SoftBank’s first female AI investing partner, managing over $130 billion, showcased her exceptional capabilities and unwavering belief in women’s potential and the importance of inclusive leadership.

Kirthiga Reddy, CEO of Verix, is launching ‘AI Kiran’ on UN Creativity and Innovation Day to globally showcase and support Indian women in AI with connectivity, funding, and mentorship, tackling their underrepresentation in GenAI (33% women in junior roles, 19% in senior roles).

India’s AI market will reach $17 billion by 2027, which demands women’s leadership. AI Kiran, a national initiative by the Principal Scientific Adviser’s office and INK Women, aims to empower women in AI through collaboration.

AI Kiran empowers Indian women in AI through a cross-functional community on the Manthan Platform. This platform features blockchain-verified credentials, mentorship, learning, and events which connect women nationwide for growth and leadership, contributing to India’s global AI leadership.

The $3M AI Kiran fundraise through INK Women Foundation (corporate, VC, govt), supports summits, partnerships, scholarships, and showcases Indian women in AI worldwide.

Source: https://www.financialexpress.com/business/start-ups/over-the-next-year-we-aim-to-reach-a-million-women-in-ai-kirthiga-reddy/3816101/

Sify Infinit Spaces, a data centre provider based in Chennai, inaugurated its AI-ready data centre campus in Sipcot Siruseri, which is now the largest in South India. The company has already invested ₹1,882 crore in Tamil Nadu, making good progress on its ₹2,500 crore promise from last year’s investor meeting.

As India’s sole data centre with an on-site open cable landing station, this facility offers improved global connectivity and network performance, with an eventual capacity of 130 MW.

Sify plans to power its Siruseri data centre with renewable energy and use sustainable building practices to create a new benchmark for green digital infrastructure. The data centre’s four IGBC Green ratings highlight this commitment.

MK Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, inaugurated a key data centre facility, strengthening both India’s digital infrastructure and Tamil Nadu’s data centre strategy.

Raju Vegesna, Chairman and Managing Director of Sify Technologies, said, “With our cumulative investment now crossing Rs 10,000 crore from an initial commitment of Rs 2,500 crore, we are not only building digital infrastructure but also creating an ecosystem of opportunity”.

He said, “We envision generating employment for 10,000 people—direct and indirect—as this facility ramps up. This data centre isn’t just infrastructure—it’s a strategic digital gateway for enterprises and governments aiming to harness AI, cloud, and high-speed data solutions. We’re proud to support Tamil Nadu’s digital ambitions and to be part of India’s data-driven future”.

This new facility solidifies Sify’s leadership in India’s digital landscape. More than 10,000 businesses across 1,700+ Indian cities rely on Sify’s data centres, networks, and security. Sify also has an international presence in North America, the UK, and Singapore.

Source: https://www.business-standard.com/companies/news/sify-inaugurates-south-india-s-largest-ai-ready-data-center-in-chennai-125041700651_1.html

Tech Data Advanced Private Limited, a TD SYNNEX company, has teamed up with NVIDIA to distribute its cutting-edge Data Centre Solutions across India.

This strategic partnership will empower Indian channel partners with full-stack Generative AI. This will allow them to help enterprises enhance infrastructure performance, accelerate AI deployment, and boost innovation across industries.

NVIDIA, a global force in AI infrastructure, helps businesses and governments build AI factories to revolutionise raw data into valuable intelligence. Their AI platform, featuring CUDA-X and NVIDIA NIM, quickens machine learning and creates high-performing AI solutions.

Sundaresan K, Vice President and Country General Manager at Tech Data Advanced said, “Rapid evolutions in AI are driving the demand for advanced digital solutions in India,”.

“Combining NVIDIA’s AI expertise with our robust partner ecosystem, we aim to bridge infrastructure gaps and scale AI adoption across the Indian IT landscape”, he added.

Tech Data will leverage its infrastructure, software, and AI partner network to simplify the integration of NVIDIA’s AI offerings and boost their market access. Additionally, the company have plans to expand opportunities through collaboration with Dell’s AI Factory and partnerships with ISVs to build AI-powered solutions.

Just like they’ve done with NVIDIA in Europe and North America, Tech Data is now extending its reach to India. This natural next step signifies their entry into the Indian market and their desire to empower more organisations with AI and machine learning through their Destination AI Program.

Through this collaboration, Indian businesses will have a smoother path to adopt powerful AI, giving them a real advantage and helping them grow.

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/en-in/news-and-trends/tech-data-and-nvidia-join-forces-to-deliver-ai-data-center/

New Delhi: With an anticipated annual growth rate of 35%, AI (artificial intelligence) spending in India is projected to hit a whopping $9.2 billion by 2028, according to a report on Tuesday.

New IDC ( International Data Corporation) research highlighted in a Qlik report emphasises that maximising AI’s impact needs immediate attention to data quality, governance, and cloud migration strategies.

Although 51% of Indian companies host AI in the cloud, inadequate data quality remains a significant challenge.

According to the report, data quality has emerged as a major obstacle in India, where 54% of organisations reported it as a challenge compared to Australia and ASEAN (40%) and the APAC average (50.4%).

Furthermore, the report revealed that 62% of Indian organisations require improved data governance and privacy. India is also facing a big challenge with AI data bias (28%) compared to ASEAN (21.8%) and Australia (20%).

To tackle these challenges, Indian enterprises are focusing their investments in data integration, ML deployment platforms, and analytics to develop AI-ready data strategies. Strong data integrity, transparency, and compliance are essential for successful AI adoption.

Varun Babbar, Vice President, India, Qlik said, “Indian organisations see cloud adoption as a critical step toward AI success”.

He said, “To scale AI-driven innovation, businesses need a strong, scalable data infrastructure that supports high-performance AI applications”.

According to the IDC InfoBrief, India’s adoption of Generative AI is significant, with 36% of enterprises already using it and another 46% intending to invest in the next one to two years. In terms of advanced AI capabilities, India (20%) aligns with Australia and New Zealand but lags slightly behind ASEAN (27%).

Deepika Giri, AVP, Big Data Analytics, Blockchain, and Web3 Research, IDC Asia/Pacific said, “GenAI is transforming industries in India — from compliance in retail to fraud prevention in finance and predictive maintenance in manufacturing.”

She stated that trusted data, strong governance, and scalable infrastructure are essential requirements for organisations to completely and responsibly leverage AI’s potential.

Source: https://www.socialnews.xyz/2025/04/15/ai-spending-in-india-set-to-reach-9-2-billion-by-2028-report/