TCS takes on OpenAI, Anthropic; to build a team of forward-deployed engineers

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is building a team of up to 8,900 forward-deployed engineers as it expands its artificial intelligence (AI) business. The move puts India's largest IT services company in direct competition with firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and Amazon, which are also hiring engineers to help customers adopt AI. As per a Reuters report, the company is also looking at acquisitions in AI, data security and cybersecurity. TCS CEO K Krithivasan said the company wants 1% to 1.5% of its workforce to become forward-deployed engineers (FDEs). "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," Krithivasan said.Based on TCS' workforce at the end of June, this would mean around 5,900 to 8,900 employees.