Ola, the Indian ride-hailing giant, has set its sights on becoming a leading player in the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape. At the company’s ‘Sankalp 2024’ event in Bengaluru, founder Bhavish Aggarwal announced a series of groundbreaking initiatives that demonstrate Ola’s ambitious plans for the future of AI.
One of the key highlights of the event was the integration of Krutrim, Aggarwal’s AI startup, into Ola Electric and Ola Consumer (formerly Ola Cabs). Krutrim’s advanced AI-powered customer service tool will be deployed across both companies, promising a more efficient and personalized experience for users.
Aggarwal further unveiled plans for a massive expansion of Ola’s data infrastructure. By 2028, the company aims to build a 1-gigawatt data center, a significant upgrade from its current capacity of 20 megawatts. This expansion underscores Ola’s commitment to supporting its ambitious AI endeavors.
Perhaps the most audacious announcement was the development of India’s first homegrown AI chip. Krutrim, the company behind the chip, aims to achieve groundbreaking performance levels by 2028. The chip, aptly named ‘Bodhi,’ will support over 10 trillion parameters in its two iterations: Bodhi-1 and Bodhi-2. The initial version, Bodhi-1, is slated for release in 2026, with Bodhi-2 following in 2028.
Krutrim has also made its mark in the consumer market with the launch of its AI chatbot, available through an Android app. The chatbot, which entered public beta in February 2024, directly competes with industry leaders like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Microsoft’s Copilot. Powered by Krutrim’s multilingual large language models (LLMs), the chatbot currently supports over 10 Indian languages, with plans to expand to all 22 official languages by the end of 2024.
In a strategic move to diversify its offerings, Ola announced a rebranding of its ride-hailing division from Ola Cabs to Ola Consumer, signaling the company’s shift towards a wider range of consumer services. Additionally, Ola Share, the popular ride-sharing service that was temporarily suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has made a comeback in Bengaluru, with plans to expand to other cities soon.
Aggarwal also highlighted Ola’s automated dark stores, small-scale warehouses designed for rapid delivery. These dark stores will be managed by robots, ensuring efficient storage and retrieval of goods. The stores will be accessible not only to Ola’s own platform but also to local Kirana shops and brands on the ONDC network, fostering a broader ecosystem.
To further enhance customer engagement, Ola introduced Ola Coin, a loyalty program that rewards users for their interactions with various Ola services. This program aims to incentivize continued use and build stronger customer relationships.
Ola’s bold vision, coupled with its strategic investments in AI and data infrastructure, positions the company as a potential leader in the emerging AI landscape. The company’s commitment to developing homegrown AI technologies could have a significant impact on India’s technological advancement and contribute to the country’s emergence as a global AI powerhouse.
