TCS to Hire Up to 8,900 AI Engineers, Scouts for Acquisitions
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India's largest software services firm, is building a team of up to 8,900 engineers specialised in artificial intelligence (AI) deployment, and is actively seeking AI-related acquisitions, according to two company executives.
The strategy comes amid investor concern that AI could disrupt India's $315 billion IT services industry by reducing demand for large engineering teams, shortening project timelines and squeezing prices as clients demand a share of productivity gains.
“We would be … ensuring that we have as many as 1% to 1.5% of our associates who could be what you would call FDEs,” CEO K Krithivasan said in an interview, referring to forward-deployed engineers who work on client sites to implement AI solutions.
The move signals TCS's belief that AI will create new business opportunities rather than simply replace existing outsourcing work. The company is looking for acquisitions that can bolster its AI capabilities, the executives said, without disclosing potential targets or deal sizes.
TCS employs over 600,000 people globally. The planned FDE team would represent a small but strategic portion of its workforce, aimed at helping clients integrate AI into their operations.
