Sarvam AI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS), an organisation under the Ministry of Defence, to develop artificial intelligence projects for the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, the AI firm said on Tuesday.
The framework also extends to the joint, tri-service and integrated organisations functioning under HQ IDS, which will facilitate the engagement across several projects spanning all three services.
Under the pact, Sarvam will design, develop and deploy AI applications for the operational, training and decision-support requirements of the three services, and provide follow-on technical support.
The agreement marks a step in the government’s drive towards Atmanirbharta — self-reliance — in defence and the indigenisation of defence equipment and capability. That imperative now extends to artificial intelligence, which is becoming as consequential to military capability as the platforms it runs on.
Through the partnership, the three services and joint organisations will gain access to the same foundation models, agentic infrastructure, and geospatial and perception systems. Doctrine and lessons learnt from one service’s projects can then feed into the next, creating shared capability across the armed forces.
The MoU also advances the Ministry of Defence’s direction on military AI, with focus areas including decision support, target acquisition and data fusion across the sensor-to-shooter loop. Crucially, human oversight will be retained on operational decisions, while the AI layer will be built in India and deployed on sovereign infrastructure.
“Sarvam exists to build AI in India, for India. To work with the three Services on the nation’s defence is an honour and a privilege. We are grateful to HQ IDS for its trust,” said Pratyush Kumar, Co-founder of Sarvam.
The work will be carried out by Chanakya, Sarvam’s firewalled division focused on national security and defence. The division will apply the company’s AI stack, including foundation models such as Sarvam 105B.
The tie-up underscores the growing role of indigenous AI firms in India’s defence ecosystem, as the military seeks homegrown, sovereign technology to power decision-making, targeting and data integration across its forces.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/defence-ministry-arm-ai-firm-sarvam-sign-pact-for-tri-service-ai-initiatives-12241405#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-10-27 12:15:00
