IIT Madras and Ziroh Labs Launch Centre of AI Research

In a move aligned with India’s “AI for All” mission, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), along with IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation, has partnered with California-based Ziroh Labs to establish the Centre of AI Research (CoAIR). This new initiative aims to make AI development more accessible by focusing on CPU-optimized AI models that work efficiently without requiring expensive GPU infrastructure.

As part of the collaboration, Ziroh Labs today launched ‘Kompact AI’, a cutting-edge platform designed to democratize AI by enabling foundational model development and deployment directly on CPUs. Built entirely by Indian scientists and engineers, Kompact AI has already optimized 17 leading models—including DeepSeek, Qwen, and Llama—for high-performance inference on CPUs.

“Nature has taught us that learning in focused domains yields better results than attempting everything at once,” said Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras. “This initiative aims to bridge the digital divide by delivering domain-specific AI solutions on affordable, conventional computing machines.”

Key Features 

Kompact AI is tailored for real-world environments, particularly in rural and low-resource settings. It operates without a need for continuous internet connectivity and is capable of running AI models with fewer than 50 billion parameters. This makes it ideal for applications in agriculture, healthcare, and education, especially in regions with limited digital infrastructure.

The launch event, held at IIT Madras, was attended by renowned global tech leaders including Turing Awardee Dr. Whitfield Diffie, Sun Microsystems co-founder Scott McNealy, and Prof. S. Sadagopan, Former Director of IIIT-Bangalore.

“By combining frugality with innovation, Kompact AI exemplifies India’s capability to develop cutting-edge solutions for global challenges,” said Prof. Sadagopan. “This is sustainable AI, made in India, for the world.”

Dr. Madhusudhanan B of IITM Pravartak added that Kompact AI offers “a game-changing way to bring AI to underserved communities without the prohibitive costs of GPUs.”

Kompact AI features a Model Library of CPU-optimized foundational models across domains like text, speech, vision, and multimodal tasks. It also includes a Common AI-Language Runtime (ICAN) that supports development in over 10 programming languages, enhancing accessibility for developers worldwide.

HCLTech’s Executive Vice President, Apoorv Iyer, also expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating that Kompact AI “promises to significantly increase the accessibility of AI,” and confirmed HCLTech's partnership with Ziroh Labs.

Ziroh Labs co-founders Hrishikesh Dewan and Igneta D’Souza emphasized the transformative potential of CPU-based AI: “Kompact AI is about delivering AI that is affordable, adaptable, and relevant to real-world use.”