New Delhi: Avataar.ai on Friday unveiled Varya, a proprietary video generation AI model developed with support from IndiaAI Mission, claiming it can generate videos at a fraction of the cost of some leading global models.The company says Varya uses a machine learning technique called distillation to reduce the number of computational steps required to generate a video from more than 50 to four, reducing computational costs while achieving similar output quality.The model was unveiled in New Delhi in the presence of MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan. Avatar is one of the companies selected under the IndiaAI Mission to develop unique AI capabilities using the country’s subsidized computing infrastructure.Several technology companies have recently launched AI systems that can generate videos from text prompts and images, but the associated computing costs remain high. Avatar says that based on internal benchmarks, Varya can generate videos at a speed of approximately ₹0.48 per second, making it up to 10 times more cost-effective than some international models.The company said that distillation allows smaller AI models to produce similar results as larger models while using much less computing power. According to Avataar, traditional video generation systems typically require more than 50 iterative steps to produce the final output, while Varya completes the process in four steps.The company said the model was trained to generate visuals that reflect India’s environment, including festivals, clothing, food, public spaces, and regional context. He said the technology could be used by teachers to create visual lessons, by small businesses to develop advertising, and by government agencies to convey information through video.Mr. Krishnan said, “The launch of one of the foundational models supported under the IndiaAI Mission marks a significant milestone in India’s AI journey.”He said the initiative reflects the government’s commitment to building indigenous AI capabilities and supporting innovation through foundational AI models.Sravanth Arul, CEO and co-founder of Avatar, said India’s AI opportunity will be shaped not only by the largest models but also by low-cost and widely available AI models.“For a country of 1.4 billion people, affordability is not a feature, but a prerequisite,” he said.Users can enter text prompts or upload images to generate a video and expand it with additional clips. The company said the technology could be applied to classes, advertising, informational content and other forms of visual storytelling.Avatar said it will publish a technical report detailing Varya’s architecture, distillation methodology and performance benchmarks.Varya is one of the first AI-based models announced under the IndiaAI Mission Support Program, which aims to accelerate the development of indigenous AI technologies and applications tailored to India’s requirements.
