Avataar AI, an Indian startup selected for the government's $1.2B India AI Mission, has launched Varya, a video generation model optimized for local cultural context. Built by distilling Alibaba's Wan 2.2 model, Varya generates video 10x faster at 1/20th the cost of competitors like Veo and Runway. The model specifically targets India's video-first market with cultural awareness of festivals, food, and clothing.
Background
India has been lagging in AI model development compared to other major regions, prompting the government to launch the $1.2B India AI Mission to support local startups with subsidized GPU compute resources.
- Source
- TechCrunch
- Published
- Jun 12, 2026 at 12:30 PM
- Score
- 6.0 / 10