New Delhi – Indian artificial intelligence startup Sarvam AI unveiled plans to deploy its newly developed AI models on Nokia feature phones, automobiles and its own line of smart glasses at the India AI Impact Summit on Wednesday. The move signals a significant shift for the company, previously focused on enterprise applications, towards consumer-facing technology.
Sarvam’s models are designed as “edge models,” requiring only megabytes of storage and capable of running on existing phone processors, even offline, according to Tushar Goswamy, head of Edge AI at Sarvam. A demonstration at the summit showcased a user interacting with an AI assistant on a Nokia feature phone via a dedicated AI button, receiving guidance on government programs and local market information. It remains unclear whether all showcased features will function without an internet connection.
The company has secured backing from Lightspeed, PeakXV, and Khosla Ventures. Sarvam is partnering with HMD Global, the maker of Nokia-branded phones, to integrate the conversational AI assistant into its devices. The startup is also collaborating with Qualcomm to optimize its models for Qualcomm chipsets, and with German engineering firm Bosch to bring AI assistants to vehicles. At a demonstration, Sarvam showcased an in-car AI assistant responding to driver queries about fuel levels and vehicle maintenance history.
Sarvam also presented its “Sarvam Kaze” smart glasses, manufactured in India, which co-founder Pratyush Kumar described as a “builders’ device” slated for release in May. The company launched two new large language models (LLMs) at the summit: Sarvam 30B and Sarvam 105B. According to reports, the 105B model surpasses the performance of DeepSeek R1.
Sarvam’s emergence as a prominent attraction at the India AI Impact Summit was noted by organizers, who confirmed its pavilion received more visitors than any other company’s, according to reports. The Indian government extended the summit by one day, to Saturday, February 21, in response to the high attendance.
The partnerships with Qualcomm, Bosch, and Nokia HMD were announced at the summit. Sarvam’s collaboration with Nokia HMD will integrate its chatbot technology into feature phones, enabling users to interact with the devices using natural language. The Sarvam 30B model is specifically designed for real-time conversations on these devices.
