India Inc on Sunday hailed the Union Budget 2026-27 as a 'structural shift' in the country's technology landscape, noting that the government is moving beyond fragmented pilots to build foundational layers where AI serves as a 'horizontal enabler' for the entire economy.
The US has replaced random H-1B selection with a wage-weighted lottery and a new $100,000 fee for applications, raising uncertainty for students and junior hires.
With discretionary spending still under pressure, the information technology (IT) services industry continued to face an uncertain demand environment in the third quarter of 2025-26 (Q3FY26).
'We frequently discuss AI, but we're waiting for other countries to develop solutions rather than creating intellectual property ourselves.' 'We haven't yet produced comprehensive AI solutions developed in India for global markets.'
To turn disruption into opportunity, NITI Aayog has recommended the launch of a National AI Talent Mission to make India the AI workforce capital of the world.
India's $280-billion IT industry heads into 2026, balancing visa-related headwinds and global trade uncertainty against its biggest-ever push into artificial intelligence and the rapid expansion of global capability centres (GCCs). Heightened scrutiny of the US H-1B visa programme - including a proposed $100,000 fee for new visas and concerns over a potential 25 per cent outsourcing tax - has complicated cross-border delivery for Indian firms, even as companies accelerate efforts to reduce reliance on onsite staffing.
'...are young Indians with aspiration to go to the US.' 'The dream has to be more about working in India...'
Efforts are underway to integrate AI education into all degree programmes -- including BA, BCom, BSc, and specialised courses.
The Indian team has returned from the US after holding trade talks with their American counterparts in New York, an official said on Thursday. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who led the team, will be back on Friday.
Physical AI equips machines with the ability to perceive, learn, and act in the real world by integrating AI algorithms with sensors and actuators in physical systems like robots and vehicles.
The decision to hike US H-1B visa application fee to $100,000, trade talks and the GST rate cut will be the key drivers for stock market movement this week, analysts said.
The National Association of Software Services Companies (Nasscom) on Tuesday launched the Talent Connect portal to bridge the gap between recruiters and digitally skilled and certified candidates. The portal, which has been in the work for the last 28 months has 100,000 candidates and companies such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tech Mahindra and Salesforce recruiting from it. The platform, for the first time, is also making an attempt to bridge the gap of skill-based talent to employers, rather than the current practice of academic focused talent base.
AI is changing jobs in India faster than ever, but professionals are learning the real skill isn't coding -- it's adaptability.
'Employers increasingly want candidates who can take AI pilots from proof-of-concept to production-ready systems.' 'That requires governance, monitoring, and ROI measurement -- skills that go beyond coding and into business impact.'
'People are taking effort to train and adapt to current skills.' 'If that is not there, they are not useful to us.' 'They have to adapt to new technology, and what is important is learnability.'
Yamuna Kalyani reveals how she battled stereotypes to build UniteAR, an augmented reality platform that helps users create interactive AR experiences for personal and commercial purposes.
The magnitude of the new H-1B visa application fee for fresh petitions - math of which works out to USD 500 million in case of 5,000 filings - may nudge IT companies to expand offshore delivery or increase local hiring, according to Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
People with no knowledge of coding or computer languages can use vibe coding using plain English command with AI-assisted software development.
'Keeping a bench increases cost. If you keep a bench, the skills may not remain relevant.' 'In the future, bench strength will literally be zero.'
More than 7,700 senior professionals with over 15 years of experience have exited India's IT services firms -- TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech, Tech Mahindra, Cognizant, and LTIMindtree -- over the past 12 months.
Generative AI is transforming workplaces but at a cost -- there are fewer jobs for young workers just entering the workforce, reveals a Goldman Sachs report.
Dr Ganesh Natarajan will answer your questions as a Special Guru on rediffGURUS from May 26 to June 1. All you need to do is create your account on rediffGURUS and ask him what you want to know.
Joining the debate on working hours, IT services company Capgemini India's chief executive Ashwin Yardi on Tuesday advocated 47.5 hours work per week, and was against sending e-mails to employees on weekends. He was speaking at Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF) in Mumbai.
The data-sharing obligations could generally place India at a disadvantage, given that such obligations may not exist in other countries and such outcomes would be undesirable, said Nasscom.
Nasscom Foundation along with Google has set up a call centre in collaboration with a not-for-profit body ISAP to help women farmers scale up their business. The project is being run on a pilot basis to initially reach out to 20,000 rural women entrepreneurs across six states -- Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan, Nasscom Foundation CEO Nidhi Bhasin said at the launch of "DigiVaani Call Center". "DigiVaani will be one place where rural women entrepreneurs will be able to call and get the information around various schemes available for them, which can help them scale up their business, be it government scheme or any other information that can be of help for them.
Call centres, once the engine room of India's BPO exports, are evolving too. Depending on the complexity, 30 to 50 per cent of voice and chat volumes are now handled by conversational AI.
Gen Z, driven by AI anxiety and economic pragmatism, have concerns about pursuing passions as careers as they fear it may not make them enough sufficient income.
While TCS cited evolving business needs and future readiness as reasons, industry experts say the action is a cost-cutting measure aimed at improving operating margins that have remained below the firm's aspirational range despite multiple efforts.
Entry level engineers for these roles can be paid between Rs 4 lakh to Rs 8 lakh annually, which can go beyond Rs 30 lakhs for people with more than eight years of experience.
'The choice is clear: We either embrace this transformation and cement our global leadership, or hesitate, lose ground, and fade into irrelevance.'
IT industry body Nasscom on Thursday said the sector continues to be a net hirer of skilled talent, and that the top 5 Indian IT companies are planning to add over 96,000 employees in 2021-22. The statement comes in the backdrop of a report by Bank of America that said domestic software firms are set to slash 3 million jobs by 2022 as automation gains pace across industries, especially in the tech space. "With the evolution of technology and increasing automation, the nature of traditional IT jobs and roles will evolve overall leading to creation of newer jobs. "The industry continues to be a net hirer of skilled talent, adding 1,38,000 people in FY2021," Nasscom said in a statement.
The time is up for the over three-decades-old business model with the advent of artificial intelligence, HCL Technologies' chief executive C Vijayakumar said on Monday. Speaking at industry lobby grouping Nasscom's annual NTLF event in Mumbai, Vijayakumar said companies need to be "paranoid", given the wide-ranging impact of AI and stressed that this attitude will help them to be relevant and grow. "I strongly believe that the business model is ripe for disruption.
For India to transform into a high-income country with a projected gross domestic product (GDP) of $23-35 trillion, will need a sustained annual growth of 8 per cent to 10 per cent. This will be powered by India's demographic dividend, technological innovation, and sectoral transformation, according to the "India@2047: Transforming India Into A Tech-Driven Economy" report by Bain & Company and Nasscom. By 2047, the services sector is expected to contribute 60 per cent of India's GDP, while manufacturing will account for 32 per cent, both playing a pivotal role in economic expansion.
For the first time, the Data Security Council of India assembled a joint task force to source threat intelligence at the origin and ensure coordinated action across the cybersecurity spectrum.
P V Sindhu said dealing with the rigours of training, disappointment as well as success is an ongoing process and an athlete must stick to it.
The government has created a comprehensive budget with sharp focus on sustaining economic activity and investment but more clarity is needed on areas like taxation framework for adopting remote working on a long-term basis, IT body Nasscom said on Monday. The industry association noted that the IT/ITeS (Information Technology-enabled Services) industry has been a key driver of growth and jobs in 2020 and there is an opportunity to significantly accelerate it further. "For the IT sector, one of the biggest needs ahead of us is the development of future business models, with hybrid working becoming a reality. "We look forward for the government to provide clarity on providing a framework in direct taxes and indirect taxes for the industry to adopt WFH/remote working on a long-term basis," Nasscom said in a statement.
The National Association of Software and Services Companies -- Nasscom -- on Monday announced the appointment of Ganesh Natarajan, deputy chairman and managing director, Zensar as the chairman of Nasscom for the year 2008-09. Pramod Bhasin, president and CEO, Genpact has been elected as the vice chairman of Nasscom for the current year.
Terming the Eurozone debt crisis as a "short term" phenomenon, IT industry body Nasscom on Wednesday said that the European bloc will continue to be one of the largest markets for the Indian IT-BPO industry.
'Skilled labour is different from immigration.' 'While any adverse immigration ruling will impact Indians, it may not necessarily affect the IT services industry.'
Wants sops to encourage investment and promote entrepreneurship.
