India, Oct 22: For most of the industry’s history, an engineer’s focus was writing code. That is changing fast. As enterprises build AI into everyday operations, they increasingly need engineers who can sit with the customer, understand what the business needs, and take an AI solution from idea to deployment. That is the work of a Forward Deployed Engineer, and it is rapidly becoming one of the most important and coveted roles in India. FDEs help bridge the gap between AI innovation and real-world outcomes, which puts India’s engineering workforce in a strong position to lead the AI transition. ‘India’s FDE Opportunity report’ – a study by Scaler, an AI-native technology education company, and CyberMedia Research, highlights the Enterprise Demand, Readiness, Compensation and Career pathways in Forward Deployed Engineering.
The findings, based on insights from 1,000 software engineers and 200 enterprise technology decision-makers across eight metros and select Tier II cities, show that FDE is moving from a niche role to a mainstream enterprise need. While 88% of Indian enterprises expect their demand for FDEs to grow by 2030, just 1% of engineers currently work in FDE explicit roles.
The report finds that the gap goes beyond skills; it is also awareness. Nine in ten engineers are not aware of a structured path to upskill for FDE roles, even as 58% say they are looking to transition into one. The capabilities enterprises value most in FDEs are applied AI, taking products into production and working directly with customers. These are also the areas where engineers feel least confident. Coding, once the clearest differentiator, is now just the starting point: enterprises are twice as likely to test candidates on deployment skills as on coding.
For engineers who build these skills, the opportunity could be significant. 80% of engineers in explicit FDE roles report annual incomes ranging from INR 40 lakh to INR 1 crore. These figures highlight the earning potential associated with FDE capabilities and the opportunity for engineers to build specialised skills for this emerging career.
Highlights from the report:
The FDE Opportunity
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Nearly nine in ten Indian enterprises expect their need for FDEs to grow by 2030, with almost eight in ten MNCs already planning to hire FDEs within the next 12 months.
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Just 1% of engineers are FDEs today, and the role is expected to pay up to 30% more.
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98% of enterprises believe it will move beyond being a niche role.
The Awareness Gap
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Nine in ten engineers are unaware of a structured pathway or specialised FDE-focused program.
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52% of engineers don’t know how to be an FDE, citing an Unclear Career Path and a poorly defined FDE role.
The Readiness Gap
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61% of enterprises prioritise customer engagement in FDE roles, yet 37% of engineers cite it as their biggest career barrier.
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77% of enterprises prioritise production deployment skills, but talent availability stands at just 19%.
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51% surveyed enterprises prioritise assessments of production deployment and troubleshooting when evaluating FDE candidates.
Commenting on the release of the report, Amar Srivastava, CEO – Online Business & Group CPO, Scaler said:
“Forward Deployed Engineering is shaping up to be one of the most defining engineering careers of this decade. Our report with CMR finds that 88% of Indian enterprises expect demand for FDEs to rise by 2030. 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. Most conversations around AI focus on jobs it will change. However, the real change is the new career opportunities it is creating. With a massive engineering workforce, for India, this is a chance to lead the global AI economy, and for its engineers, a whole new path to grow into.”
The findings point to an emerging opportunity for India: developing a specialised engineering career pathway while addressing gaps in applied AI, production deployment and customer-facing problem-solving.
Commenting on the study findings, Prabhu Ram, Vice President – Industry Research Group (IRG), CyberMedia Research (CMR) said,
“As AI moves from experimentation to enterprise deployment, the ability to translate technology into measurable business outcomes is becoming increasingly critical. For India, this presents an opportunity to build on its existing engineering talent by strengthening applied AI, deployment and customer-facing capabilities. Developing these skills will be key to preparing engineers for emerging Forward Deployed Engineer roles, enabling them to bridge the gap between technology development and real-world business implementation.”
