Indigenous startup Sarvam draws crowd at the India AI Impact Summit 2026
Government extends expo at the AI Impact Summit by one day till Saturday, February 21
The buzz around India’s homegrown AI prowess reached a crescendo as Sarvam emerged as the star attraction at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, drawing record-breaking crowds and reportedly outshining even the much-talked-about AI Paris Summit in total footfall.
The indigenous AI startup, Sarvam, has become the undisputed crowd-puller at the summit, with organisers confirming that its pavilion has witnessed more visitors than any other company’s pavilion.
Set up at the iconic Bharat Mandapam, Sarvam’s pavilion has seen a steady stream of curious visitors, particularly students and young tech enthusiasts.
Many queued up to watch live demonstrations, interact with developers, and understand how the startup has built competitive large language models tailored to Indian languages and use cases.
Sarvam has already made headlines for challenging global AI heavyweights with its indigenous models and scalable solutions. Its focus on vernacular AI, enterprise-grade applications, and responsible innovation has positioned it as a symbol of India’s rising technological self-reliance.
Meanwhile, in response to the overwhelming turnout, the government on Wednesday, February 18 decided to extend the expo at the AI Impact Summit by one day. The event will now run through Saturday, February 21. It was originally scheduled to conclude on February 20.
Briefing the media about the decision, IT Secretary S Krishnan said the extension would allow attendees to visit more easily once the multilateral events at the venue conclude and security arrangements become more flexible. It will also make it more convenient for students and working professionals who were unable to attend during the weekdays.
Meanwhile, former Union Minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on social media that the global summit has “attracted a reported attendance of over 300,000 already — compared to the few thousands at other summits.” He added that the reason is that large numbers of Indians are stakeholders in the Prime Minister’s vision of digital technology and AI shaping India’s future.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar also shared attendance comparisons from 2023 to 2025 for summits held in Bletchley Park, United Kingdom; Seoul, South Korea; and Paris, France.
