Avataar AI Launches Low-Cost Varya Video Model for India
Original: Cheaper, faster, and culturally aware, Avataar’s video AI is built for India’s scale
Avataar AI launched Varya, a distilled video model priced at $0.005 per generated second and tuned for Indian cultural context.
Avataar AI has launched Varya, a video generation model built from Alibaba’s open Wan 2.2 model and distilled for faster, cheaper output. The company says Varya can generate 5-second 720p clips on an NVIDIA H200 in 45 seconds, versus 1,230 seconds for Wan 2.2. Avataar plans to release the model and training data through India’s AI Kosh portal while offering hosted access at about $0.005 per second.
TechCrunch reports that Avataar AI, one of 12 startups selected under India’s government-backed India AI Mission, has launched a new video generation model called Varya. The model is positioned around three practical needs for the Indian market: lower cost, faster generation, and better awareness of local cultural context. Avataar says its hosted service will charge ₹0.48, or about $0.005, per second of generated video, which the company frames as far below the typical $0.10 or more per second charged by video models such as Veo, Kling, Luma, and Runway.
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