In a bold demonstration of India’s growing prowess in artificial intelligence, CP Gurnani, co-founder of AIonOS and former CEO of Tech Mahindra, has revealed the successful development of an Indian Large Language Model (LLM) for local languages and dialects. This significant achievement, completed in just five months and with a budget under $5 million, counters the skepticism expressed by OpenAI‘s CEO Sam Altman, who doubted India’s capability in this domain.
Speaking at the MachineCon GCC Summit 2024, Gurnani recounted the challenge posed by Altman and the swift response from Tech Mahindra’s innovation team. Gurnani recounted that he spoke with his chief innovation officer, who responded within six hours with a plan, highlighting the swift and efficient execution that followed.
Tech Mahindra’s new LLM, known as Project Indus, is tailored to engage with over 37 Indian languages and dialects. This initiative marks a significant step towards linguistic inclusivity in AI, addressing a substantial portion of India’s diverse population.
Gurnani emphasized that the success of this project underscores India’s potential to develop cutting-edge technology independently. He projected confidence in India’s ability to establish its own equivalents to global tech giants like NVIDIA within the next 5-7 years, furthering the nation’s self-reliance in the tech sector.
Tech Mahindra’s Strategic Collaborations
To bring Project Indus to fruition, Tech Mahindra partnered with industry leaders Dell Technologies and Intel. This collaboration utilized Dell’s advanced computing, storage, and networking capabilities, combined with Intel’s Xeon Processors and OneAPI software suite, ensuring the project’s optimal performance and scalability.
Nikhil Malhotra, Global Head of Makers Lab at Tech Mahindra, expressed enthusiasm for Project Indus, noting its potential to develop localized and industry-specific AI solutions. Malhotra explained that through Makers Lab, Tech Mahindra’s R&D arm, they created a roadmap, collected data from the Hindi-speaking population, and built the Indus model.
The collaborative effort aims to revolutionize AI-driven solutions across various sectors, including healthcare, rural education, banking, agriculture, and telecom. Denise Millard, Chief Partner Officer at Dell Technologies, highlighted the importance of accessibility and scalability in AI adoption, while Santhosh Viswanathan, Vice President & Managing Director for India at Intel, emphasized the project’s role in advancing AI frontiers.
Broader Implications and Future Prospects
Project Indus is a pivotal milestone in the global GenAI landscape, projected to expand to $1.3 trillion over the next decade. The model’s initial focus on Hindi and its dialects aims to bridge the linguistic gap, enabling broader access to AI technologies in India.
CP Gurnani’s announcement reflects a grand vision for India’s tech and AI future. By emphasizing “frugality, innovation, technology, and people leadership,” he draws parallels to the success stories of Indian companies like IndiGo and Airtel in competing with larger global entities.
As Tech Mahindra continues to develop and deploy advanced AI models, the success of Project Indus will be closely watched as a testament to India’s growing capabilities in the tech industry. The project not only defies previous doubts but also sets a new benchmark for innovation and self-reliance in the Indian AI landscape.