Pact covers operational, training and decision-support applications, with human oversight retained on operational decisions
Indian AI firm Sarvam has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS), part of the Ministry of Defence, to work on AI projects across the Army, Navy and Air Force, the company said on Tuesday.
The framework also covers the joint, tri-service and integrated organisations under HQ IDS. Under the pact, Sarvam will design, develop and deploy AI applications for the operational, training and decision-support needs of the three services, and provide follow-on technical support. The work will span several projects across all three services, with HQ IDS facilitating the engagement.
According to Sarvam, the three services and joint organisations will get access to the same foundation models, agentic infrastructure, and geospatial and perception systems. Lessons and doctrine from one service’s projects can then inform the next.
The company described the MoU as advancing the Defence Ministry’s direction on military AI. The focus areas include decision support, target acquisition and data fusion across the sensor-to-shooter chain, with human oversight kept on operational decisions. The AI layer is to be built in India and run on sovereign infrastructure.
The company also presented the agreement as a step in the government’s push for Atmanirbharta, or self-reliance, in defence, extending indigenisation from equipment to artificial intelligence, which it called increasingly central to military capability.
The work will be carried out by Chanakya, Sarvam’s firewalled division focused on national security and defence. It will apply Sarvam’s AI stack, including foundation models such as Sarvam 105B.
Sarvam co-founder Pratyush Kumar said the company exists to build AI in India, for India, and called working with the three services an honour and a privilege.
Based on a statement by Sarvam, as reported. No financial value or timeline wa
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