Microsoft has recently announced that it will support the renowned Indian startup Sarvam AI in developing voice-based generative AI and making its large language models available on Azure. The announcement was made during the three-day visit of CEO Satya Nadella to India and the company’s promotion of adoption of its AI-based services and products in India.

However, Sarvam AI is developing generative AI models focused on Indic languages and context and raised $41 million in Series A funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Peak XV Partners and Khosla Ventures in December last year. The founders of the startup, Pratyush Kumar and Vivek Raghavan, were earlier involved in developing AI models at the IIT Madras-based research group AI4 Bharat.

President of Microsoft India & South Asia, Puneet Chandok, said, “At Microsoft, we are committed to enabling AI for everyone, empowering India’s transformation into an AI-first nation”. “Through our collaboration with Sarvam AI, we are not just supporting homegrown innovation – we are fostering a future where every individual, regardless of their language or background, can benefit from the power of voice-driven AI solutions. Together, we are taking a significant step toward enabling India’s people, communities, and organisations to achieve more,” he added.