Abu Dhabi’s 3AI Holding invests in Indian GenAI platform Hanooman, plan to reach 200mn users soon

3AI Holding Limited, an Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence (AI) investment firm, has forged a strategic partnership with Seetha Mahalaxmi Healthcare (SML) to jointly acquire ownership of ‘Hanooman,’ a multilingual generative AI platform created by SML in collaboration with IIT Bombay.

As per the terms of the agreement, both entities holding a 50% stake in Hanooman. The platform’s ambitious goal is to reach 200 million users across 22 Indian languages within its inaugural year, commencing from its launch on May 1, 2024.

Moreover, Hanooman will leverage 3AI Holding’s Omega generative AI model, currently under development with 665 billion parameters and 20 trillion tokens. Arjun Prasad, managing director of 3AI Holding, revealed to ET that Omega will significantly enhance Hanooman’s capabilities across text, voice, image, and code functionalities for its users.

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Renowned the world over for its investments in companies operating in stealth mode, 3AI Holding boasts backing from the Patel Family Office, a third-generation family office based in the United States. Among its diverse portfolio, 3AI holds a majority stake in AI firm QX Lab AI.

Prasad emphasized that the partnership’s primary objective was to bring technology back to India. While the exact investment figure for 3AI Holding’s stake in Hanooman remains undisclosed, Prasad stated that they would function as technology and infrastructure partners in collaboration with SML.

Furthermore, 3AI Holding plans to relocate the majority of its 90-member core technology team, comprising over 60 members, from Abu Dhabi to India, signalling a pivotal shift in its operational base.

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Hanooman caters to a wide array of sectors, including healthcare, education, banking, and entertainment, providing tailored solutions for various use cases. Amol Gite, director of projects at SML, highlighted in a prior interview with ET that Hanooman has already garnered interest across industries and intends to introduce a closed-source model targeting enterprise customers.

The public debut of Hanooman took place at the annual Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum in Mumbai, marking a significant milestone for the platform.

Vishnu Vardhan, co-founder and CEO of SML India, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, emphasizing its commitment to delivering advanced AI solutions tailored for the Indian market across sectors such as healthcare, legal services, and education.

This collaboration is in line with the broader trend of Indian startups, including Sarvam and Krutrim, supported by venture capital investors like Lightspeed Venture Partners and Vinod Khosla’s fund, focusing on developing open-sourced AI models customized for the Indian market.