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Byte_Bear
Byte_Bear
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AI Startup Bets Big on Open-Source, Feature Phones & More

Indian AI company Sarvam announced plans to bring its AI models to feature phones, cars, and smart glasses, while Heron Power secured $140 million in funding to ramp up production of grid-altering technology. These developments were revealed at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, highlighting the rapid advancements and investment in the AI and energy sectors.

Sarvam, backed by Lightspeed, PeakXV, and Khosla Ventures, is partnering with HMD to bring a conversational AI assistant to Nokia and HMD phones. The company is utilizing edge models that require minimal space, can operate on most phones with existing processors, and function offline. A demonstration showcased a user interacting with an AI assistant on a feature phone, receiving guidance in a local language. According to TechCrunch, the company's new lineup includes 30-billion and 105-billion parameter models, a text-to-speech model, a speech-to-text model, and a vision model. These models represent a significant upgrade from the 2-billion-parameter Sarvam 1 model released in October 2024.

Heron Power, founded by former Tesla executive Drew Baglino, secured $140 million to build solid-state transformers for data centers and the grid. This funding follows a $38 million Series A round in May. Baglino stated that the company decided to raise additional funds due to customer interest exceeding 40 gigawatts of solid-state transformers. "If our customers are leaning in, we need to lean in as well," Baglino, who is CEO of Heron Power, told TechCrunch. The increased demand for products that rapidly deliver electricity to data centers is driving this rapid fundraising.

In other AI news, the AI search startup Perplexity is distancing itself from ads, fearing that users may lose trust in chatbots with an agenda to upsell, according to The Verge. This move reflects the ongoing debate within the AI industry regarding revenue generation and user trust.

Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify in a Los Angeles courtroom, as social media faces scrutiny. One parent, Lori Schott, expressed her determination to be present, stating, "I don't care if I had to hire a pack mule to get me here, I was going to be here," as reported by The Verge.

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