Beyond just writing code, FDEs must know how various enterprise systems work together with the AI models while also being able to communicate with customers and understand their business challenges.

As AI increasingly becomes centrepiece in the tech landscape, many traditional IT roles are set to evolve. Forward Deployment Engineer (FDE) is one such function that has found a second wind recently, with multiple global and Indian tech firms ramping up hiring for the role. But what exactly do these engineers do?  

Who are Forward Deployment Engineers? 

FDEs are essentially software engineers who, instead of building software, work directly with clients to integrate and customise the software to their own needs. They often have a degree of expertise regarding the client’s business and take out-of-the-box software solutions and make them operational while also continually improving them based on real-world use. 

What did FDEs do before the introduction of AI?

In the pre-AI era, FDEs, who were also interchangeably referred to as implementation teams, had a predetermined role. Roughly speaking, when clients buy software like SAP, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics or Tally, these engineers would handhold them to set up the tools on their own systems. This meant configuring them to the client’s existing databases, applications and workflows while also training employees to use them and fix any issues after deployment.

How has AI changed their role?

Unlike traditional software, however, AI products rarely work well out of the box. As Ashvin Vellody, Chief Strategy and Innovation, Consulting, Deloitte South Asia, puts it, in the traditional software era, engineers usually worked against relatively fixed requirements, while AI tools today are more probabilistic in nature. 

This means outputs can vary depending on the prompts, the underlying models can change and the same solution can often work for one company while failing for another. As a result, FDEs have to constantly work on updating the AI solutions based on user feedback and the specific business need, more so than traditional software. 

Why are AI companies on the hunt for FDEs? 

Earlier, software vendors like SAP or Oracle made tools while engineers in IT service firms integrated them into client systems. However, AI start-ups like OpenAI and Anthropic are looking for their own FDEs that work in client environments. They expect the feedback from these deployments to help them in improving the core product for future customers.

OpenAI launched the Deployment Company, a $4 billion business unit that works exclusively on staffing corporations and enterprises with FDEs. Anthropic also announced an AI services company where FDEs will work with customers to build custom solutions. AWS, Google Cloud, and Palantir have also announced intentions to expand FDE hiring in response to customer demand. 

How will this trend impact the business of IT service companies? Will they also have to hire FDEs?

The industry opinion remains mixed. While some have flagged significant overlap, others have also suggested that the scale of large enterprise AI projects cannot be met by FDEs from model companies alone and will require specialist service firms. 

Be that as it may, many service firms have also announced their intention to ramp up FDE teams. Tata Consultancy Services is building a team ​of up to 8,900 forward-deployed engineers. Cognizant plans to scale to 5,000 Frontier Certified Engineers and 10,000 Frontier Business Operators to help deploy AI in enterprise environments. Mid-tier IT firm Coforge has also announced plans to scale its FDE team to 100 engineers.

What are the skills companies are looking for in FDEs?

FDEs are usually expected to have a mix of strong technical skills alongside a deep understanding of the client’s business. Beyond just writing code, FDEs must know how various enterprise systems work together with the AI models while also being able to communicate with customers and understand their business challenges.

According to Sanchit Gogia, Founder & CEO of Greyhound Research, unlike traditional engineers who focus on building products, FDEs start with the customer’s problem, tailor the AI solutions to their needs and decide which of the customisations need to eventually be part of the core product. 

What is the future of the role? Will the demand for FDEs continue to rise?

Gogia believes that as most of the routine software development will be automated by AI, roles like FDEs will take centre stage as human talent will focus on identifying and deciding which customer problems need to be solved and how to tailor solutions. Despite this, he suggests that the role will remain specialised rather than a mass-market profession like traditional Indian IT service roles.

Published on July 23, 2026