Finnish smartphone manufacturer HMD has unveiled its new Vibe 2 5G model. The key feature of this device is the integration of the Indus chatbot, developed by the Indian startup Sarvam. This partnership was announced at the India AI summit held in New Delhi in February. This is according to Techcrunch.com reports.
The Indus app operates on a native 105-billion parameter model and supports 22 Indian languages. The system's uniqueness lies in its ability to understand code-switching during conversation (e.g., transitions between Hindi and English). Currently, the app does not work offline and does not feature a dedicated trigger button.
Ravi Kunwar, HMD's Vice President for India and APAC, stated that the primary goal in the first phase is to bring the Indus app to consumers. The Vibe 2 5G smartphone is equipped with a 6,000 mAh battery and will be priced at approximately $114. In the future, the company plans to release feature phones with Sarvam AI integration.
Although HMD currently holds a small share of the Indian smartphone market, it is a leader in the feature phone segment with a 4% share. The Indus app has been downloaded 293,000 times so far, which is significantly behind ChatGPT's 43.9 million. However, the strategy of installing AI that understands local languages on affordable devices is expected to bring great success in a linguistically diverse market like India.
The Sarvam startup is considered one of India's most promising AI projects. Reports suggest the company is on the verge of raising $300 million in investment, valuing the firm at $1.5 billion. This partnership will serve as an important experiment in how AI technologies gain popularity in emerging markets.
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