Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) and its tech arm IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation, in collaboration with California-based deep-tech startup Ziroh Labs, launched Kompact AI- a cost-effective CPU-based AI platform aimed at democratizing artificial intelligence by eliminating the dependence on costly GPUs.
Key Highlights
Platform Name: Kompact AI
Launched by: IIT Madras (IITM Pravartak) & Ziroh Labs
Purpose: Run and serve AI models using CPUs instead of GPUs
Aligned With: Government’s AI Mission – “AI for All”
Why It Matters?
Solves AI Compute Gap in India: Developed under the Centre of AI Research (COAIR) by IITM Pravartak and Ziroh Labs.
Designed for India & the World: Especially beneficial for rural and underserved regions with limited computing infrastructure.
Runs Without Internet: Offline operation capability makes it viable for remote locations.
Privacy-Safe: Fully compliant with data privacy and residency norms globally.
Optimised AI Models: Already supports DeepSeek, Qwen, LLaMA, among others, for CPU-based inferencing.
Performance: Achieves 3x better performance than current state-of-the-art CPU AI deployments.
Includes a Model Library: Comes with foundational models optimised for CPU compatibility.
Advantages of Kompact AI
- No need for NVIDIA GPUs or high-cost computing chips
- Works with cloud data centers and edge devices
- Affordable, scalable, and fast
- Ideal for developing economies and edge-AI applications