IIT Madras launches AI research center to democratize AI development on CPUs

In a move poised to reshape AI accessibility in India and beyond, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has launched the Centre of AI Research (CoAIR) in collaboration with IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation and Ziroh Labs, a deep-tech startup based in California.

The initiative targets a critical challenge: delivering high-performance artificial intelligence on everyday hardware — without relying on costly, hard-to-access Graphics Processing Units (GPUs).

At the heart of the centre’s unveiling was the launch of ‘Kompact AI, a cutting-edge AI platform developed by Ziroh Labs and introduced at IIT Madras. Unlike traditional models dependent on GPUs, Kompact AI allows foundational models to be developed, trained, and deployed solely using CPUs — the processors already widely available in cloud data centres and edge devices.

Addressing India's AI accessibility challenge

Kompact AI directly supports India’s “AI for All” mission, offering a practical route to expand AI usage in remote and under-resourced areas. The platform also adheres strictly to global data privacy and residency norms, making it a globally viable solution.

The first version of Kompact AI, developed entirely by Indian scientists and engineers, has been optimized to run 17 key AI models — including DeepSeek, Qwen, and Llama — efficiently on CPU-based systems. These models were benchmarked in collaboration with IIT Madras, with rigorous evaluation of both speed and accuracy.

A new era of scalable, cost-effective AI

The launch event featured live demonstrations of Kompact AI’s capabilities, highlighting its potential to eliminate the traditional dependency on GPUs — a major cost and accessibility barrier in AI development.

Esteemed figures from the tech world, including Prof. V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, Dr. Whitfield Diffie (Turing Award laureate), Scott McNealy (Founder of Sun Microsystems), and Dr. William J Raduchel (former CTO, AOL Time Warner), attended the launch alongside faculty, students, and researchers.

"This is a nature-inspired innovation," said Prof. Kamakoti. “Ziroh Labs and IITM Pravartak have created a platform that leverages domain-specific models to provide accurate inference using affordable, conventional computer systems. This is a crucial step toward narrowing the AI divide between those who can afford hyperscaler systems and those who cannot."

Real-world relevance

Kompact AI is built for real-world deployment, functioning seamlessly even in areas without internet access — a vital feature for India’s rural and remote landscapes. The upcoming Centre of AI Research will continue developing smaller, domain-specific AI models, enabling context-driven performance with low-resource requirements.

Ziroh Labs’ platform also ensures that AI development respects stringent data governance laws while enabling broad scalability — making it not only a technological leap but a policy-aligned innovation.

With CoAIR and Kompact AI, IIT Madras aims to shift the paradigm of AI — from elite infrastructure to everyday utility and from exclusivity to inclusion.