On 27 October 2026, Sarvam signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) under the Ministry of Defence. The agreement sets an umbrella framework for artificial intelligence (AI) projects across the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, and joint, tri-service and integrated organisations under HQ IDS.
Scope of the MoU
Under the agreement, Sarvam will design, develop and deploy AI applications, and provide technical support for them. The applications will address operational, training and decision-support requirements of the three Services. HQ IDS will facilitate projects undertaken across the Services and participating joint organisations.
The agreement gives the Services access to shared foundation models, agentic infrastructure, and geospatial and perception systems. A foundation model is an AI model trained on broad data that can be adapted for different tasks. Agentic infrastructure supports AI systems that can carry out tasks through a sequence of actions. Geospatial systems process information linked to locations, while perception systems interpret inputs such as images or other sensor data.
Military AI applications
The stated areas of work include decision support, target acquisition and data fusion across the sensor-to-shooter loop. Target acquisition involves locating and identifying a potential target. Data fusion combines information from multiple sources, including sensors. The sensor-to-shooter loop covers the chain from detecting a target to engaging it. Human oversight will be retained over operational decisions.
Shared systems can allow doctrine and lessons from projects in one Service to inform work in another. The agreement covers operational, training and decision-support applications; it does not specify individual project timelines or systems.
Sovereign AI and implementation
The collaboration is intended to develop an AI layer for the armed forces with Indian partners and deploy it on sovereign infrastructure. Sarvam’s national security and defence division, Chanakya, will carry out the work using the company’s AI stack, including its Sarvam 105B foundation model. The MoU is aligned with the government’s Atmanirbharta in defence initiative.
Important Facts for Exams
- The Indian Armed Forces comprise the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.
- HQ IDS provides an integrated framework for joint, tri-service defence organisations.
- Data fusion combines data from multiple sources to support a consolidated assessment.
- Sovereign infrastructure refers to infrastructure controlled and operated within national jurisdiction.
The MoU runs for five years and covers the three Services and organisations under HQ IDS. Human oversight is to remain in place for operational decisions.
