Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu praises Sarvam AI for using low energy and costs, calls it ‘world class’
Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu praised Sarvam AI, calling it “world-class” and said the company has proven that high-quality AI can be built in a much more affordable and sustainable way, with a significantly lower energy and computing footprint.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Vembu said Sarvam AI’s approach shows that advanced AI systems don’t have to be expensive or resource-hungry. “What Sarvam AI shows – that world-class AI can be done in a much more cost-effective and sustainable way with a much lower energy and computing footprint – is significant,” he wrote on the social media platform.
The huge requirement for infrastructure and power consumption has become a growing environmental problem, especially as artificial intelligence models become more advanced and complex. The rapid expansion of data centers and computing facilities that power AI has led to increased energy and water use and significant carbon emissions.
Vembu’s take on AI’s energy footprint
The Zoho founder also underlined that reducing energy and computer usage is becoming increasingly important as current large-scale artificial intelligence systems put increasing pressure on global power supplies.
He added that the planet cannot sustain the current energy footprint of many modern AI models, especially those that rely on extensive data centers and large server farms for training and deployment of emerging technology.
“I have come to believe that much more energy and compute efficient approaches to AI in software code generation can be developed. This is important because the world cannot afford today’s AI energy footprint,” he said.
What is Sarvam AI — All about the company
Founded in 2023 by Vivek Raghavan and Pratyush Kumar, Sarvam AI is emerging as a key player in India’s drive to develop superior AI talent. The company aims to challenge the dominance of global tech giants such as OpenAI, Google and Meta in the rapidly growing field of artificial intelligence.
Backed by strong domestic momentum and government support, the startup is trying to develop basic AI models specific to India, Mint had previously reported.
Vembu is known to be a strong advocate of domestic products and domestic innovation and has often used his public comments to encourage Indian companies to develop local technology capabilities rather than relying heavily on foreign platforms.
Just two weeks ago, he praised Europe’s awakening to the risks of foreign tech domination, likening recent Big Tech companies to the historic East India Company. Vembu’s post sparked controversy among netizens who called for the growth of local platforms.
