Odia Entrepreneur Sam Pasupalak Develops SKY-001 AI Model, Claims 150 Times Lower Cost

An artificial intelligence entrepreneur from Odisha has made headlines with the development of a new AI model designed to transform engineering and design workflows. Sam Pasupalak, founder of San Francisco-based Skyfall AI and son of renowned Odisha meteorologist Surendra Nath Pasupalak, has introduced SKY-001, a specialised AI model aimed at making complex design tasks faster, more accurate and significantly cheaper.

According to claims attributed to the company, SKY-001 can compete with advanced AI models such as GPT-6 Astra in design-related tasks while operating at a fraction of the cost. The company claims that the model can reduce expenses by up to 150 times compared with competing systems.

What Makes SKY-001 Different?

SKY-001 has been developed primarily for computer-aided design (CAD) and building information modelling (BIM). These technologies are widely used in engineering, architecture and construction to create detailed digital designs and models.

Unlike general-purpose AI systems that may attempt to generate an entire design in a single operation, SKY-001 reportedly breaks complex projects into smaller tasks and completes them step by step. This approach is intended to improve accuracy and reduce errors when handling complicated design requirements.

The company claims that a single design process using GPT-6 Astra costs approximately ₹62, while the corresponding task using SKY-001 costs around 40 paise. If independently verified under comparable testing conditions, this difference could represent a substantial reduction in the cost of AI-assisted design.

Skyfall AI also claims that SKY-001 performs between 51 and 125 times faster than other models in certain tasks.

Claims Higher Design Accuracy

According to the figures cited in the report, SKY-001 achieved an accuracy score of 79.7 per cent, compared with 79.1 per cent for GPT-6 Astra. These results suggest a marginal improvement in the reported benchmark, although independent verification and details of the testing methodology would be necessary to establish the extent of its advantage.

The development of SKY-001 follows 18 months of work by the Skyfall AI team.

From Bhubaneswar to the Global AI Industry

Sam Pasupalak hails from Bhubaneswar and currently lives in San Francisco, United States. He graduated in mathematics and computer science from the University of Waterloo in Canada before earning a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.

In 2011, he founded Maluuba, an artificial intelligence startup that was acquired by Microsoft in 2017.

His latest venture, Skyfall AI, is focused on developing specialised AI technologies for complex engineering and design applications.

The launch of SKY-001 highlights the growing focus on specialised AI models that aim to deliver practical results at lower costs. However, the claims regarding its performance, speed and cost advantages will need to be assessed through independent evaluations before its capabilities can be conclusively established.