Beyond the model race, India targets the switchboard

As businesses increasingly move towards using multiple artificial intelligence (AI) models for different tasks, a new opportunity is emerging for Indian startups in the layer that decides which model should handle a particular request.

Instead of competing with global technology companies to build foundational models, startups such as Indierouter AI, Staqu Technologies and NthEye are developing AI model routers that sit between users and multiple models. The router analyses a request and directs it to the model best suited to the task, while managing factors such as cost, speed, accuracy, reliability and data governance.