Ola’s Bold Move in AI with Krutrim 3
Ola is taking a significant leap in artificial intelligence with the development of Krutrim 3, a 700-billion parameter AI model and is collaborating with Lenovo to build India’s largest AI supercomputer to support its AI ecosystem. Announced at Lenovo Tech World’25 India Edition in Mumbai, this ambitious project aims to place India at the forefront of AI innovation.
Krutrim 3: India’s Answer to Global AI Innovation
Navendu Agarwal, CIO of Ola Electric, shared insights about the company’s vision at the event. “We are very proud to say that we are working on a bigger model, Krutrim 3, which will be a 700 billion parameter model, and will be our answer from India to show that we can build the best,” he said.
Ola sees AI as a key component of India’s digital future and is investing heavily in cutting-edge AI technologies.
Ola’s AI Journey and Foundation Models
Ola’s AI journey began in 2023 with Krutrim 1, a 7-billion parameter model. It was soon followed by Krutrim 2, a 12-billion parameter model, both of which were open-sourced. With Krutrim 3, Ola is stepping onto the global stage, aiming to compete with top AI models worldwide. The company has over 700 AI professionals working on a full-stack approach to AI development, making it one of the few Indian firms building foundation models from scratch.
India’s Largest AI Supercomputer: A Game-Changer
A key part of Ola’s AI expansion is its partnership with Lenovo to build India’s largest AI supercomputer. This powerful system will provide the infrastructure needed to support AI development, cloud computing, and hyperscale data processing. Ola’s AI-first cloud will not only serve its own projects but also help startups and enterprises build AI-driven applications.
“We will make it state-of-the-art. We will make it green. We will make it liquid cooling-based,” Agarwal said, emphasizing the company’s focus on sustainability and cost-effective technology.
Bridging the AI Infrastructure Gap in India
Despite its vast talent pool, India lags in AI adoption. Currently, only 0.1% of India’s GDP is directed toward the software industry, compared to 1% in the U.S. Agarwal believes this gap is holding back the country’s economic potential. Ola aims to change this by creating India’s own sovereign cloud and reducing dependency on Western cloud providers.
“India doesn’t have its own hyperscale. Everything is Western. We don’t have our own sovereign cloud, and that’s where Ola is working,” he said.
A Collaborative Approach to AI Leadership
Agarwal stressed that AI development at this scale requires strong partnerships. Ola is collaborating with Lenovo to build the necessary AI infrastructure. “This is a dream that not one company can achieve alone. Ola is doing its bit, stretching ourselves, and building the infrastructure, but we need strong partners like Lenovo,” he said.
By investing in AI and building a supercomputer-driven infrastructure, Ola is shaping the future of AI in India. With Krutrim 3, the company is making a bold statement, positioning itself at the heart of India’s AI revolution.
