China’s DeepSeek, which is claimed to be built under $6 million, has taken India by storm. The race to build its own foundational AI model has started in the country for which the IndiaAI Mission has received 67 proposals, with 20 of them planning to build LLMs.
But amidst all the proposals and startups, BharatGen, the Department of Science and Technology-funded initiative, stands out as the nation’s strongest bet.
Spearheaded by the government and driven by top researchers, BharatGen is not just another large-scale AI project—it is the cornerstone of India’s technological sovereignty.
“We have made significant technical progress, and the announcement of our models has already come from the DST secretary,” Prof. Ganesh Ramakrishnan, the head of the BharatGen initiative, told AIM. He said this while discussing the project’s rapid progress and growing role as a national AI mission.
Unlike private entities, BharatGen operates with a clear mission—‘GenAI for Bharat, by Bharat’. With an investment of under ₹235 crores, which is close to $27 million, leveraging cost-efficient computing and attracting top talent from graduates from IITs.
The BharatGen consortium comprises IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Mandi, IIT Madras, IIIT Hyderabad, and IIM Indore.
National Mission, Not Just a Project
Rather than being confined to a single department, BharatGen has been structured to benefit from a whole-of-government approach, ensuring seamless inter-ministerial collaboration. “The first goal was to get BharatGen into a national mission, which has happened. The second is to build from the ground up while ensuring all intellectual property (IP) remains with India,” Ramakrishnan explained.
However, Ramakrishnan clarified that the funding goes towards model building and supporting the broader AI ecosystem. “People often look at numbers in isolation. The real story is about provisioning for long-term research, infrastructure, and talent development,” he added.
This explains why DeepSeek is unable to sustain itself with minimal funding and the cost of inference when it comes to AI models, which is the highest.
The endorsement from Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav further strengthens this vision. “The Minister was briefed about BharatGen, and he clearly said, ‘India is building its own foundation model,’ not just Indian companies,” Ramakrishnan emphasised.
Vaishnaw recently stated that India would have its own foundational AI models within 7-8 months, and BharatGen is a key part of that vision. “Yes, we are very much on track. The Minister has been briefed, and we are aligned with the timeline,” Ramakrishnan confirmed.
Unlike private players like Sarvam or Krutrim, BharatGen maintains a stronger academic foundation. “Private players operate in silos with no academic connection. How sustainable is that in the long run?” Ramakrishnan questioned.
BharatGen, on the other hand, integrates research institutions and faculty members into its ecosystem, ensuring long-term innovation. While private startups have been receiving cloud infrastructure support, BharatGen primarily leverages Indian providers like Yotta and Neysa.
“Our goal is not just to build AI models but to provide resources that startups and system integrators can leverage,” said Ramakrishnan. The team is already on track to building Bharat Datasagar, a multilingual repository for Indian AI research and has already released e-VikrAI, a solution built on Vision Language Models, tailored for product images in Indic e-commerce.
The Need for a Sovereign AI Model
A key point of contention in the AI discourse is whether India should rely on private firms to develop foundational AI models or if the government should take charge. Some argue that startups should take the lead, like in the US and China. Ramakrishnan, however, sees this as a misguided approach.
“This is not about competition; it’s about necessity,” Ramakrishnan concluded. “India cannot afford to depend on foreign AI models. The future of AI in India must be built in India.”
“Inclusiveness is at the heart of BharatGen. Private companies, no matter how well-intentioned, will always prioritise business interests. Why would they focus on India’s dialects, agriculture, or public services?” he asked.
For BharatGen, AI is more than just a business opportunity—it is a strategic necessity. The initiative is working to build models that cater to India’s diverse linguistic and economic landscape. “This is not just about creating models; it’s about ensuring they serve the people,” he said.
Moreover, security concerns make it imperative for India to own its foundational AI models. “Relying on foreign companies is not viable for mission-critical applications like defence. It’s similar to nuclear power—we need our own AI infrastructure,” Ramakrishnan stated.
With a team of 50-60 researchers and a large network of student contributors, BharatGen is moving forward rapidly. The initiative constantly holds discourse on infrastructure, including GPU allocations, with the government.
