Sarvam and Ministry of Defence sign MoU for AI projects across the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force

Sarvam has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS), Ministry of Defence, setting up an umbrella framework for AI projects across the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force. The framework also extends to the joint, tri-service, and integrated organisations under HQ IDS.

Under the MoU, Sarvam will design, develop, and deploy AI applications for the operational, training and decision-support requirements of the three Services, and provide follow-on technical support. Work under the MoU spans several projects across all three Services, with HQ IDS facilitating the engagement.

Through the agreement, the three Services and the joint organisations gain access to the same foundation models, the same agentic infrastructure, and the same geospatial and perception systems. Doctrine and lessons learnt from one Service’s projects can then feed the next.

The MoU advances the Ministry of Defence’s direction on military AI: India’s armed forces are building their own AI layer that runs across the Services, developed with Indian partners. The focus areas are decision support, target acquisition and data fusion across the sensor-to-shooter loop, with human oversight retained on operational decisions, so that the AI layer for the Services is built in India and deployed on sovereign infrastructure.

“Sarvam exists to build AI in India, for India. The core of that mission is to put the country’s own intelligence into the systems it depends on. To work with the three Services on the nation’s defence is an honour and a privilege. We hold ourselves to the highest standards in this work. We are grateful to HQ IDS for its trust, and our team is committed to delivering for all three Services,” said Pratyush Kumar, Co-founder, Sarvam.

The work will be carried out by Chanakya, Sarvam’s firewalled division focused on national security and defence. Chanakya will apply Sarvam’s AI stack, including foundation models such as Sarvam 105B.

Under this MoU, Sarvam and HQ IDS will take up projects of critical importance to the country, including building an AI fabric that connects together the elements of our defence capabilities.

Published on October 27, 2026