Microsoft Azure lays the foundation for India-focused voice-based AI applications

Big tech developer Microsoft is expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) products in Asia with a new partnership with Indian startup Sarvam AI.

According to a blog post from Microsoft on February 8, Sarvam Indic plans to bring the Voice Large Language Model (LLM) to the Azure AI infrastructure. Microsoft Azure OpenAI and machine learning services are used by Sarvam to host LMMs while accelerating their training and scaling.

It said the development is part of its commitment to “enabling AI-driven growth and innovation in India”.

Microsoft India and South Asia President Puneet Chandok said the company aims to support India to become an “AI-first nation”.

“…we're not just supporting local innovation – we're fostering a future where every individual, regardless of their language or background, can use voice-driven AI solutions.”

The LLM developed by Sarvam targets Indic languages ​​and “contextual” resources to make the applications more authentic and “cost-effective” in India.

Initially, LLM offers a “natural voice-based interface” in Indian languages ​​- the most popular language on the Indian subcontinent and the “lingua franca” of the Hindi Belt region with around 609 million speakers.

Microsoft's announcement says that voice-based interfaces are the “most natural” interfaces for generative AI applications in Indian languages.

The partnership also envisions collaborations to help local businesses adopt generative AI faster and more responsibly.

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Over the past year, the technology has been at the forefront of Microsoft's overall expansion and development strategy. It expects revenue to grow by 18 percent by 2022 by the end of 2023, which it says will be driven by the “introduction of AI” across its entire technology stack.

At the same time, Microsoft's valuation surpassed $3 trillion, surpassing Apple's most valuable publicly traded company.

It recently partnered with telecom provider Vodafone and the Congressional Federation of American Labor and Industrial Organizations to develop “worker-focused” AI.

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