The FDE role has become critical as enterprises move past the experimentation phase with AI
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KR Deepak
Amid surging demand for Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs), GCCs in India are emerging as the larger recruiters as global companies look to build and own AI capabilities in-house, while IT services firms are relying more on reskilling their existing workforce to bridge the talent gap, industry data shows.Adecco India’s hiring trends highlight that GCCs are generally hiring FDEs more aggressively than traditional IT services firms. It noted that demand for FDE roles has grown by approximately 55 per cent to 65 per cent in GCCs and 40 per cent to 45 per cent in IT services over the past year. Today, FDEs are emerging as one of the fastest-growing specialised AI roles as organisations prioritise deployment-ready talent.Business ValueThe FDE role has become critical as enterprises move past the experimentation phase. While a year or two ago, the conversation was about which model to use, today boards are asking if AI is creating business value. “Building an AI model is part of the challenge; making it work across legacy systems, fragmented data, compliance requirements, and real business processes is where the real complexity lies. FDEs are translators between what the technology can do and what the business needs. As AI becomes core infrastructure rather than a side project, that combination of technical depth and business understanding is becoming valuable,” Neelabh Shukla, Chief Business Officer, Careernet, explained.Job AlignmentAccording to TeamLease Digital, FDE job postings increased by nearly 700–800 per cent between Q1 2025 and Q1 2026. Frontier AI companies, enterprise software firms, cloud platforms, and consulting companies are all hiring for these roles.While both GCCs and IT services firms are making significant investments in Forward Deployed Engineers, the distinction lies in how these roles are aligned to business objectives.According to Sanketh Chengappa KG, Director and Business Head of Professional Staffing at Adecco India, as GCCs evolve from delivery centers to global innovation and capability hubs, they are hiring FDEs to build long-term enterprise capabilities, accelerate AI adoption, and support global product and platform mandates.“These professionals are typically embedded within core engineering, product, and AI teams, with a strong focus on ownership, scalability, and internal transformation,” he said.Different RoleIn contrast, IT services firms are using FDEs to help clients put AI solutions into practice across different business environments. Their role is to speed up deployment, manage integration challenges, and ensure AI delivers business value. FDEs in services firms need a mix of strong technical skills, consulting expertise, stakeholder management, and the ability to deliver solutions.Shukla added that GCC FDEs typically go deep on a narrower set of business problems, while IT services FDEs optimize for repeatability and scale across multiple client environments. Different operating models, but the same core requirement—strong engineering skills paired with business fluency. Compensation trends also vary. “GCCs are willing to pay a 30-40 per cent wage premium for specialised FDE talent from the market. IT services companies, on the other hand, are relying more on reskilling their existing cloud, engineering, and delivery teams, given the large base of existing workforce,” Neeti Sharma, CEO, TeamLease Digital, highlighted.High ValueHowever, demand for FDEs is ahead of supply. As per TeamLease Digital, compensation for FDE talent has risen by around 20-30 per cent in the past year. Entry-level FDEs can command around ₹18-25 lakh per annum, while experienced professionals can earn ₹50-80 lakh or more.Adecco India expects FDEs to become the next high-value talent segment as AI enters an execution-led phase. Hiring for FDE roles is expected to grow by 80 per cent to 85 per cent over the next two to three years, driven by enterprise AI investments, the continued expansion of GCCs in India, and growing demand for professionals who can operationalise AI at scale. Much like cloud architects during the cloud transformation cycle, FDEs are likely to emerge as one of the most sought-after AI talent segments across both GCCs and IT services.However, an FDE needs strong technical skills in areas such as RAG and agentic AI, alongside the ability to understand the customer, the business problem, and how to get a solution deployed. This combination is rare. As demand outpaces supply, companies are trying to build this talent internally through reskilling rather than relying only on lateral hiring. Published on August 12, 2026
