IIT-B Registers Own Company to Lead India’s AI Initiative
By Hemali Chhapia | December 8, 2025
Mumbai: The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), recognized as a launchpad for India’s brightest startups, has achieved a significant milestone by incorporating its own company. This initiative is not merely an incubated spinoff or a faculty-seeded venture; it is an organization owned and anchored by IIT Bombay itself. On November 7, 2025, BharatGen Technology Foundation was registered with the Registrar of Companies in Mumbai, marking a decisive step in how India’s premier engineering school plans to shape the future of artificial intelligence (AI).
The Genesis of BharatGen Technology Foundation
BharatGen represents India’s first attempt to create a Large Language Model (LLM) that reflects the country’s linguistic, cultural, and social diversity. The foundation took shape last year after the Department of Science and Technology (DST) laid the groundwork with an initial support of ₹235 crore, indicating a strong commitment to developing public infrastructure for AI. This project is part of the DST’s National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS).
Collaborative Efforts
Under the leadership of IIT Bombay, the BharatGen consortium includes several prestigious institutions such as:
- IIT Madras
- IIT Kanpur
- IIIT Hyderabad
- IIT Mandi
- IIT Hyderabad
- IIM Indore
- IIT Kharagpur
- IIIT Delhi
According to Professor Ganesh Ramakrishnan, the founder director of BharatGen Technology Foundation, the establishment of a corporation provides the necessary functional freedom and autonomy to transition models from the lab to the market, distinguishing it from a traditional academic project.
Objectives and Features of BharatGen
BharatGen is designed to work across more than 22 Indian languages, integrating text, speech, and document vision. This capability allows AI to interpret information in a manner that aligns with how citizens naturally communicate, read, and interact. The foundation’s ambition extends beyond merely building large language models; it aims to create models that resonate with the Indian context.
Professor Ramakrishnan emphasized that the strength of BharatGen lies in training systems on home-grown datasets and Indian languages. This approach is expected to enhance the reliability of AI applications in real-world scenarios.
Support and Funding
Recently, BharatGen received an additional ₹1,058 crore from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under the IndiaAI Mission. This funding is set to expand BharatGen into a comprehensive national sovereign AI initiative, further solidifying its role in India’s AI landscape.
Empowering Startups and Innovators
The foundation plans to release distilled versions of its models to developers, enabling startups and enterprises to leverage sovereign AI without incurring the costs or requiring the expertise to train massive systems independently. In essence, BharatGen will handle the heavy lifting, allowing the country’s innovators to focus on building applications and solutions.
The Future of AI in India
The establishment of BharatGen Technology Foundation signifies a pivotal moment for AI development in India. By harnessing the collective expertise of leading institutions and focusing on indigenous datasets, BharatGen aims to create AI solutions that are not only technologically advanced but also culturally relevant.
This initiative is expected to foster a new wave of innovation in AI, encouraging collaboration between academia and industry, and ultimately contributing to India’s position as a global leader in artificial intelligence.
Conclusion
The incorporation of BharatGen Technology Foundation by IIT Bombay is a clear indication of the institution’s commitment to advancing artificial intelligence in India. This initiative not only aims to develop sophisticated AI models but also seeks to ensure that these technologies are accessible and beneficial to a wide range of stakeholders, from startups to larger enterprises.
Note: The information provided in this article is based on the latest updates available as of December 2025.
