Bengaluru-based Sarvam has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS), Ministry of Defence, to work together on artificial intelligence (AI) projects across the army, navy and air force.
The five-year MoU sets up an umbrella framework for AI projects across the three Services and covers the joint, tri-service and integrated organisations that come under HQ IDS. The areas of collaboration include AI applications, research, knowledge management, training and decision support.
HQ IDS described the agreement as a significant step towards strengthening sovereign AI capabilities for India’s defence forces. “The partnership will focus on building secure, sovereign and scalable AI capabilities, with strong emphasis on data sovereignty and ensuring responsible AI based solutions,” it said in a post on X.
Under the MoU, Sarvam will design, develop and deploy AI applications for the operational, training and decision-support needs of the armed forces, and will provide follow-on technical support. The work will cover several projects across all three services, with HQ IDS facilitating the engagement.
Sarvam, which announced the agreement on Tuesday, said the three services would get access to the same foundation models, agentic infrastructure, and geospatial and perception systems. Lessons learnt from one service’s projects can then feed into the next. The company said the focus will be on decision support, and on target acquisition and data fusion across the sensor-to-shooter loop.
{{/usCountry}}Sarvam, which announced the agreement on Tuesday, said the three services would get access to the same foundation models, agentic infrastructure, and geospatial and perception systems. Lessons learnt from one service’s projects can then feed into the next. The company said the focus will be on decision support, and on target acquisition and data fusion across the sensor-to-shooter loop.
{{/usCountry}}Human oversight will be retained on operational decisions, it added. The AI layer, it said, will be built in India and deployed on sovereign infrastructure.
The work will be carried out by Chanakya, Sarvam’s firewalled division focused on national security and defence. Chanakya will use Sarvam’s AI stack, including foundation models such as Sarvam 105B. The company said the two sides will take up projects of critical importance, including building an AI fabric that connects the elements of India’s defence capabilities.
“Sarvam exists to build AI in India, for India,” said Pratyush Kumar, co-founder of Sarvam, as per the press release. “We hold ourselves to the highest standards in this work. We are grateful to HQ IDS for its trust, and our team is committed to delivering for all three Services.”
Sarvam said the MoU is part of the government’s push for Atmanirbharta, or self-reliance, in defence, which now extends to AI.
Under the India AI Mission, announced in 2024 with an outlay of ₹10,372 crore for five years, the government is funding 12 organisations, including Sarvam to build sovereign AI models. Sarvam showcased its models at the India AI Summit in February 2026. The government’s goal is to create homegrown, Indic-language focused models and reduce reliance on foreign platforms.
In April, cabinet secretary TV Somanathan addressed the army's top brass and emphasised the need for sovereign AI models and resilient supply chains to safeguard national interests, amid evolving geopolitical challenges triggered by ongoing global conflicts.