Defence Ministry’s HQ IDS Signs MoU with Sarvam for AI Projects Across Army, Navy and Air Force

The agreement also covers joint, tri-service and integrated organisations operating under HQ IDS, establishing a framework for multiple AI projects across the three services.

Under the agreement, Sarvam will design, develop and deploy AI applications for operational requirements, training and decision support. The company will also provide technical support after deployment, while HQ IDS will facilitate engagement across the participating organisations.

Focus on indigenous military AI capabilities

The agreement aligns with the government’s push for Atmanirbharta in defence, extending the emphasis on indigenous capabilities to artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

As AI becomes increasingly relevant to military operations, the partnership aims to enable the three services and joint organisations to access a common technological foundation, including AI foundation models, agentic infrastructure, geospatial capabilities and perception systems.

A shared framework could also help the services apply lessons and operational insights from projects in one branch to subsequent initiatives across the wider defence establishment.

Applications in decision support and battlefield operations

The MoU advances efforts to develop AI capabilities for military applications, with potential focus areas including decision support, target acquisition and data fusion across the sensor-to-shooter loop.

The framework envisages human oversight of operational decisions, while the underlying AI technology is developed domestically and deployed on sovereign infrastructure.

These capabilities could support the processing and interpretation of information from multiple sources, helping military personnel assess operational situations and make informed decisions. The agreement, however, covers multiple projects, and specific applications and deployment details have not been disclosed.

Sarvam’s Chanakya division to lead the work

The projects will be undertaken by Chanakya, Sarvam’s dedicated division for national security and defence, which operates separately from its other activities through a firewalled structure.

The division will draw on Sarvam’s AI technology stack, including its Sarvam 105B foundation model.

“Sarvam exists to build AI in India, for India. To work with the three Services on the nation's defence is an honour and a privilege. We are grateful to HQ IDS for its trust,” said Pratyush Kumar, co-founder of Sarvam.

The partnership marks another step towards integrating indigenous AI technologies into India’s defence ecosystem, with implementation expected to span operational, training and decision-support requirements across the three armed services.