Microsoft has partnered with generative AI startup Sarvam AI to make its Indic voice large language model (LLM) available on Azure.

The companies aim to make the development and deployment of generative AI (GenAI) apps in India more accurate and cost effective, whilst also increasing the reach of AI across different regions and sectors.

Sarvam’s LLM will initially be available in Hindi, the most widely spoken of India’s 22 official languages. The company aims to expand coverage to more Indian languages and offer support for colloquial language use.

Sarvam AI will use Microsoft’s cloud and AI infrastructure, including Azure OpenAI Service and Azure Machine Learning, to train, host, and scale its LLMs.

As part of the collaboration, the companies said they are researching ways to better support Indian languages in Microsoft’s GenAI frontier language models and to deploy them at scale.

Microsoft added the partnership will create the foundation for more India-focused developers to build voice-based GenAI apps at scale.

“At Microsoft, we are committed to enabling AI for everyone, empowering India’s transformation into an AI-first nation,” said Puneet Chandok, president of Microsoft India & South Asia. “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 organizations to achieve more.”

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