India Launches 3 Indigenous AI Foundation Models

INDIA LAUNCHES THREE INDIGENOUS AI FOUNDATION MODELS

WHY IN THE NEWS ?

  • New Launch: The Government of India has introduced three indigenous AI foundation models—EKA-1, Dhīr 2B and Dhīr 5B—under the IndiaAI Mission.
  • Strategic Objective: The initiative aims to strengthen domestic AI capabilities, improve technological self-reliance and promote secure AI applications across government, defence, industry and education.

INDIA LAUNCHES THREE INDIGENOUS AI FOUNDATION MODELS

INDIA’S INDIGENOUS AI FOUNDATION MODELS:

  • EKA-1: Developed by Soket Labs, it is a foundation model featuring 26.3 billion parameters and trained on approximately 7.5 trillion tokens.
  • Multilingual Capability: EKA-1 supports all 22 Scheduled Indian Languages, along with English, helping expand access to AI technologies across linguistic communities.
  • Advanced Applications: It is designed for mathematical problem-solving, coding, logical reasoning and agentic AI applications.
  • Dhīr Models: Developed by ZenteiQ, Dhīr 2B and Dhīr 5B support offline-capable automation, document-based knowledge retrieval and information processing.
  • Sectoral Applications: These models can support defence establishments, government departments, industries and educational institutions, particularly in areas with limited internet connectivity.

STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE AND APPLICATIONS:

  • National Security: AI models can strengthen cybersecurity and support sensitive operations through deployment in air-gapped environments, which remain isolated from external networks.
  • Data Protection: Offline deployment can reduce exposure to external connectivity risks while processing sensitive organisational information.
  • Governance Efficiency: Document-grounded automation and knowledge retrieval can improve public service delivery and administrative productivity.
  • Digital Inclusion: Multilingual AI capabilities can make digital services more accessible to India’s linguistically diverse population.
  • Economic Competitiveness: Indigenous AI development can encourage domestic innovation, strengthen startups and create opportunities in India’s technology ecosystem.

ABOUT INDIAAI MISSION AND FOUNDATION MODELS :

●      IndiaAI Mission: Launched in March 2024 with an outlay of approximately ₹10,371.92 crore over five years, it aims to build a comprehensive AI ecosystem in India.

●      Core Objective: The mission promotes indigenous AI development, innovation, computing infrastructure, skill development and responsible AI adoption.

●      Foundation Models: These are large-scale AI models trained on extensive datasets that can be adapted for multiple applications, including language processing, reasoning and content generation.

●      Technological Sovereignty: Indigenous models reduce dependence on foreign AI technologies and strengthen India’s control over critical digital infrastructure.

●      Open Development: EKA-1’s open, sparse hybrid architecture supports wider technological development and specialised AI applications.