Nearly 88% of Indian enterprises expect demand for Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) to increase by 2030, even as professionals in these roles account for just 1% of the country’s engineering workforce, according to a report by technology education company Scaler and CyberMedia Research (CMR).
India’s FDE Opportunity Report draws on responses from 1,000 software engineers and 200 enterprise technology decision-makers across eight metropolitan areas and select Tier II cities. It examines enterprise hiring expectations, skill requirements, compensation and career pathways for FDEs, a role that combines software and AI engineering with customer engagement and production deployment.
As enterprises move AI projects from experimentation to production, FDEs are emerging as a link between technology development and business implementation. These engineers work closely with customers to understand business requirements, integrate AI solutions into existing environments and ensure that systems function in production.
The report finds that 98% of surveyed enterprises believe FDE roles will move beyond being a niche specialisation. Nearly eight in ten multinational companies (MNCs) plan to hire FDEs over the next 12 months, signalling growing demand for engineers who can translate AI capabilities into operational outcomes.
However, the supply of talent is not keeping pace with these expectations. While 58% of surveyed engineers said they were interested in transitioning to FDE roles, nine in ten were unaware of a structured pathway or specialised programme to develop the required skills.
Production deployment and customer engagement emerge as key skills
The findings point to a shift in the capabilities enterprises seek from engineering talent. Coding remains a foundational skill, but organisations increasingly expect engineers to deploy AI solutions, troubleshoot systems and work directly with customers.
According to the report, 77% of enterprises prioritise production deployment skills for FDE roles, while only 19% report adequate talent availability in this area. Customer engagement is another major requirement: 61% of enterprises prioritise it, while 37% of engineers identify it as their biggest career barrier.
The report also found that 51% of surveyed enterprises prioritise assessments of production deployment and troubleshooting when evaluating FDE candidates. Enterprises are twice as likely to assess deployment skills as coding skills, according to the study.
The gap extends beyond technical proficiency to awareness of the career itself. Some 52% of engineers said they did not know how to become an FDE, citing unclear career pathways and a poorly defined understanding of the role.
These findings suggest that expanding the FDE talent pool will require more structured training in applied AI, system integration, production deployment and customer-facing problem-solving, alongside conventional software engineering skills.
Compensation signals emerging career opportunity
The report identifies compensation as another factor shaping interest in the specialisation. It states that 80% of engineers currently working in explicit FDE roles earn between ₹40 lakh and ₹1 crore annually. FDE roles are also expected to command a salary premium of up to 30%, according to the findings.
The figures indicate the earning potential associated with specialised engineering capabilities, although compensation will vary by role, experience, employer and the complexity of the work involved.
Amar Srivastava, CEO of online business and group chief product officer at Scaler, said FDEs would play an important role as enterprises seek to convert AI investments into business outcomes.
“As companies worldwide race to turn AI into business outcomes, engineers who can bridge the gap between AI technology and its real-world application will be central to making this shift happen,” Srivastava said. He added that the emergence of FDE roles could create new career opportunities for India’s engineering workforce.
Prabhu Ram, vice-president of the Industry Research Group at CMR, said the ability to translate technology into measurable business outcomes was becoming increasingly important as AI moved into enterprise deployment.
“For India, this presents an opportunity to build on its existing engineering talent by strengthening applied AI, deployment and customer-facing capabilities,” Ram said.
Building a specialised engineering talent pipeline
The report highlights an opportunity for India to develop a specialised talent pipeline for a role that combines technical execution with business problem-solving. Addressing the skills gap will require clearer career pathways and practical training that prepares engineers to take AI solutions from concept to production.
Scaler said its AI Forward Deployed Engineer programme aims to help technology professionals develop the technical, business and deployment capabilities needed for such roles.
The findings also point to a broader change in enterprise engineering requirements as organisations seek employees who can work across AI systems, existing applications and customer environments. Whether India can meet the projected demand will depend on how effectively employers and training providers close the gaps in deployment expertise, customer engagement and awareness of the FDE career path.