Artificial Intelligence Startup Sarvam Partners With Indian Military for Defense Tech

Artificial intelligence startup Sarvam has signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Defence and Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff to deploy AI applications for India’s armed forces.

The agreement involves the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, and integrated organizations under HQ IDS, establishing a shared framework for intelligence projects. Sarvam will develop AI applications to support training, decision-making, and military operations, while providing post-deployment technical support. Financial terms and specific projects remain confidential.

This initiative supports the government's Atmanirbharta push for defence self-reliance in advanced technologies. The work will be managed through Chanakya, Sarvam’s firewalled national security division, using the company's AI technology stack and foundation models like Sarvam 105B. Proposed applications include data fusion, target acquisition, and decision support, though human oversight will remain mandatory for operational choices.

Systems will be built in India using local computing infrastructure and data, deployed on sovereign infrastructure. Co-founder Pratyush Kumar stated that Sarvam's mission focuses on building AI in India for India by incorporating domestic intelligence into critical systems.