IBM (NYSE: IBM) and BharatGen have announced a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in India, utilizing BharatGen’s sovereign multimodal and Large Language Models (LLMs) designed for the country’s distinct linguistic and cultural environment. This initiative seeks to combine IBM’s expertise in AI, including data management, governance, and model training, with BharatGen’s national mission and knowledge to develop inclusive, India-centric LLMs grounded in local context and values. The collaboration focuses on the creation and scaling of multimodal and language-specific AI models, expanding their use across various fields such as education, agriculture, banking, healthcare, and citizen services.
As part of their efforts, BharatGen and IBM intend to develop solution templates for Indic use cases by leveraging BharatGen’s models and data alongside IBM’s AI technologies, including IBM Granite Models. They will also create demonstrations and templates for use cases on IBM Watsonx and Red Hat OpenShift AI, establish a scalable data pipeline using selected open-source tools from IBM, enhance with Indic-specific features for efficient data preparation workflows, and implement a governance framework based on IBM’s enterprise-scale model development methodology to promote responsible model development. Additionally, they will set new benchmarks tailored for Indic languages and domains and explore new model architectures and technologies by leveraging both companies’ expertise in high-performance and purpose-built generative AI models. Prof.
Ganesh Ramakrishnan from BharatGen stated, ‘At BharatGen, we have been building sovereign AI models that reflect the linguistic richness, cultural nuances, and diverse needs of our people. This collaboration with IBM enables us to integrate leading global research, scalable architectures, and inclusive systems for India.’ Sandip Patel, Managing Director of IBM India and South Asia, commented, ‘At IBM, we are dedicated to fostering the development of open, trusted AI that addresses real-world challenges.
Through our partnership with BharatGen, we aim to enhance sovereign AI capabilities that represent India’s diversity and create significant impacts across various sectors.’ BharatGen’s roadmap for LLMs and foundational models is structured to meet both national and commercial requirements in areas such as agriculture, education, healthcare, national security, and finance, with a strong emphasis on including underserved Indian languages and dialects beyond the top 12-22 to ensure wider digital participation and equity.