Bhavish Aggarwal’s AI venture, Krutrim, has deployed DeepSeek’s latest foundation model, R1 671B, on NVIDIA’s H100 GPUs in India. This move, announced on Tuesday, is part of Krutrim’s ongoing efforts to provide Indian developers access to cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools.
Aggarwal emphasized that users need to be cautious when using the DeepSeek app due to data security concerns. However, its open-source model can be safely deployed on Indian servers to accelerate the country’s AI advancements. To encourage quick adoption, Krutrim offers the model to Indian developers at a highly competitive rate of Rs 1 per million tokens throughout February.
Strengthening India’s AI ecosystem
Krutrim’s partnership with DeepSeek is not new. The company has already made five of its open-source models available on its cloud platform, with sizes ranging from 8 billion to 70 billion tokens. The latest deployment of DeepSeek R1 is expected to enhance AI accessibility in India, allowing developers to build sophisticated applications with advanced natural language processing capabilities.
A massive investment push backs this initiative. Earlier this month, Aggarwal announced a Rs 2,000 crore investment into Krutrim, with plans to commit Rs 10,000 crore by next year. Alongside these financial commitments, Krutrim has also introduced a high-level AI research lab, the Krutrim AI Lab, which aims to position India as a global leader in artificial intelligence.
However, while Krutrim is promoting AI development, government authorities are taking a cautious approach. Last week, India’s finance ministry issued a directive barring officials from using AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official purposes, citing concerns over data privacy and security. Other countries, including Taiwan, Australia, and Italy, have also imposed restrictions on DeepSeek over similar worries.
India’s growing AI ambitions
Despite regulatory concerns, India is making rapid strides in AI development. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently announced plans for India to develop its foundational AI model within the next few months. The government has impanelled 18,693 GPUs under a standard computing facility to support this initiative, laying the groundwork for a robust AI infrastructure.
A significant part of this effort includes establishing AI data centers in Odisha and ensuring India has the necessary resources to support large-scale AI research and innovation.
This push aligns with the IndiaAI mission, which received Cabinet approval in March 2024. With a budget of Rs 10,371.92 crore, the mission aims to create a scalable AI computing ecosystem, foster growth in India’s AI startup sector, and encourage public-private collaborations in AI research and development.
As India accelerates its AI ambitions, Krutrim’s deployment of DeepSeek’s latest model will be crucial in empowering local developers and strengthening the country’s AI ecosystem. While regulatory scrutiny remains a key consideration, the focus on secure, localized AI solutions could help India strike a balance between innovation and data protection.
