Zoho founder, Sridhar Vembu, revealed during the CNBC-TV18 and Moneycontrol Global AI Conclave on December 16 that the company is developing smaller artificial intelligence (AI) models with 7-20 billion parameters. According to Vembu, these models are designed to address specific domain problems for Zoho’s customers. He emphasized that Zoho’s strategy focuses on using smaller models rather than the more common 500 billion parameter models. Vembu also highlighted the company’s intention to own its own graphics processing units (GPU) infrastructure, which he believes is more cost-effective in the long run.
Vembu discussed the importance of brain capital, stating that financial capital follows once brain capital is solved. He expressed optimism about the availability of funds in Bengaluru, pointing out that companies like AMD are now venturing into AI chips. Vembu revealed that Zoho is working with AMD and anticipates that supply chain issues related to chip shortages will be resolved.
During the event, Vembu emphasized that the automation of data bookkeeping is the low-hanging fruit in software development. He argued that approximately 80% of software development work involves data bookkeeping, a task that could be automated. Vembu suggested that by automating this work, developers can focus on the more creative aspects, which make up the remaining 20%.
Zoho, a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider, recently unveiled a suite of 13 generative AI extensions and integrations for its applications. Powered by ChatGPT, these extensions aim to enhance Zoho’s AI capabilities. Zoho is also blending third-party intelligence into Zia, its secure cloud-based AI engine, to further augment their AI offerings.
In June 2023, Zoho announced that it is developing its own large language model (LLM) similar to OpenAI’s GPT and Google’s PaLM 2 models. Overseen by Vembu and implemented by the company’s research and development team in India, this project aims to create an AI model specifically designed for natural language processing tasks such as translation, summarization, and question-answering.
Furthermore, Vembu has been advocating for the implementation of an AI policy in India. Alongside Rajiv Kumar, former vice chairman of Niti Aayog, and Sharad Sharma, co-founder of iSPIRT Foundation, Vembu submitted a proposal to the central government in May 2023. The proposal aims to establish an AI policy that prioritizes openness and transparency.
Zoho’s efforts in developing smaller AI models and owning GPU infrastructure reflect its commitment to providing domain-specific solutions to its customers. With a focus on optimization and automation, Zoho aims to enhance the capabilities of its software applications while empowering software developers to focus on more creative work.
In the ever-evolving landscape of AI technology, Zoho’s initiatives demonstrate their dedication to innovation and their determination to provide cutting-edge solutions for their global customer base.
