Key Points
- Sarvam signs five-year MoU with HQ IDS for AI projects across three defence services
- Framework covers operational, training and decision-support applications for Army, Navy and Air Force
- Work to be carried out by Chanakya, Sarvam's national security division
Sarvam, a Bengaluru-based artificial intelligence company, has signed a five-year framework agreement with Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff for AI projects across the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, the company announced on 27 October.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed with HQ IDS under the Ministry of Defence, establishes an umbrella structure for AI development across the three services and extends to joint, tri-service and integrated organisations under the defence headquarters, according to the company.
Under the agreement, Sarvam will design, develop and deploy AI applications for operational, training and decision-support requirements across the armed forces, with follow-on technical support, the company said. HQ IDS will facilitate engagement across multiple projects spanning all three services.
The framework is intended to give the services access to common foundation models, meaning the large-scale AI systems that underpin specific applications, along with shared infrastructure for building AI agents and geospatial systems, according to Sarvam. The company said this approach would allow lessons from one service’s projects to inform subsequent work.
Defence AI focus
The MoU aligns with the government’s push for indigenisation in defence, extending that drive to artificial intelligence capability. The Ministry of Defence has directed that India‘s armed forces build their own AI layer developed with Indian partners, according to the company’s statement.
Focus areas under the agreement include decision support, target acquisition and data fusion across the sensor-to-shooter loop, with human oversight retained on operational decisions, the company said. The AI systems are intended to run on sovereign infrastructure within India.
“Sarvam exists to build AI in India, for India. The core of that mission is to put the country’s own intelligence into the systems it depends on,” said Pratyush Kumar, co-founder, Sarvam. “To work with the three Services on the nation’s defence is an honour and a privilege. We hold ourselves to the highest standards in this work.”
The work will be carried out by Chanakya, a firewalled division within Sarvam focused on national security and defence. The division will apply Sarvam’s AI stack, including foundation models such as Sarvam 105B, according to the company.
By the numbers
Key figures from this story- 5 years
- Duration of framework agreement
- 3 services
- Army, Navy and Air Force covered
The agreement comes as the government pursues what it terms Atmanirbharta, or self-reliance, in defence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has placed indigenisation of defence equipment and capability at the centre of national security policy, with that imperative now extending to artificial intelligence.
Sarvam said it builds AI systems where data, models and agents remain within a country or company. The company works across training and inference infrastructure, frontier models spanning text, speech, vision and documents, and AI products for enterprises, developers and government, according to its statement.
Your Questions, Answered
What is the Sarvam and HQ IDS agreement?
Sarvam has signed a five-year MoU with Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff to develop AI applications for the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, covering operational, training and decision-support requirements.
What AI applications will be developed under this framework?
The framework covers decision support, target acquisition and data fusion across the sensor-to-shooter loop, with human oversight retained on operational decisions, according to the company.
Which Sarvam division will handle defence work?
Chanakya, a firewalled division within Sarvam focused on national security and defence, will carry out the work using the company's AI stack including its Sarvam 105B foundation model.
How does this relate to India's defence indigenisation policy?
The MoU aligns with the government's Atmanirbharta push to indigenise defence capability, extending self-reliance efforts to artificial intelligence developed by Indian partners on sovereign infrastructure.
