TCS plans up to 8,900 AI jobs as it explores AI acquisitions; All details

Tata Consultancy Services, one of India’s largest IT giants, plans to hire up to 8,900 forward-deployed engineers (FDEs) and is reportedly pursuing AI acquisitions. This means it is expanding its AI capabilities and new revenue streams rather than reducing demand for IT services.

The FDEs will work closely with customers to help businesses implement, customise, and deploy AI solutions. In addition, it's also looking to acquire AI companies that can strengthen its AI capabilities. The decision comes amid investor concerns over AI replacing India's $315 billion IT services industry.

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However, CEO K Krithivasan dismissed the concerns, saying that AI is changing the nature of outsourcing and that it's creating new opportunities for firms like TCS, which help businesses integrate and operationalise AI systems.

“What you need is a deep knowledge of the customer environment to make it work. That is where we differentiate ourselves. This has ‌nothing to do with ​cost arbitrage. It’s essentially ​because of ​the talent pool that we have built,” Krithivasan said.

TCS plans for FDE teams

According to Krithivasan, the company plans to build a new FDE team consisting of about 1%to 1.5% of its workforce. “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,” he said. 

Considering the TCS workforce as of June 2026, it is expected that the company plans to have around 5,900 to 8,900 forward-deployed engineers. However, it is unclear if TCS is planning to hire new employees or retrain and redeploy its existing workforce into these AI-focused roles.

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What will forward-deployed engineers do?

Forward-deployed engineers are AI specialists who work closely with clients within the company's offices to offer support for faster AI adoption, AI model customisation based on business needs, integration of AI into existing workflows, and solving technical challenges.

As businesses increasingly adopt AI at scale, the demand for skilled engineers who can implement AI solutions for customers is rising. Therefore, by building an FDE team, TCS is competing with companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft, as major tech giants are also hiring AI specialists to help customers successfully deploy AI technologies.

TCS AI acquisition plans

TCS is also exploring AI startup acquisitions across AI, data security and cybersecurity. ⁠CFO Samir Seksaria said, “We are looking at where we can find things which will help us enable or enhance our strategic positioning.”