iPhone Manufacturer to Recruit 8,900 Workers for AI Acceleration

Tata Consultancy Services, the India-based operator behind iPhone production, is building a large team of up to 8,900 workers. The team will work towards a single goal: accelerating AI adoption.

“We will make sure we have 1%-1.5% of employees who become FDEs (Field Daya Engineers),” said CEO K Krithivasan, quoted by Reuters on Monday (13/7/2026).

Reuters noted that Krithivasan’s figure translates to roughly 5,900-8,900 people. However, it was not stated whether this number would be met through new recruitment or by retraining existing staff.

Employees in the team will accelerate AI adoption and adapt tools to business needs. They will also conduct evaluations of acquisitions in the AI field.

Meanwhile, Krithivasan addressed concerns that AI would disrupt the outsourcing model. He dismissed that notion and affirmed that companies still need partners like TCS to carry out integration and implement AI systems.

“What is needed is deep knowledge of the customer’s environment so that everything runs smoothly. That is where we differentiate ourselves. This has nothing to do with cost arbitrage. Fundamentally, it is the pool of talent we have built,” he explained.

Despite having a strong vision for AI, the company’s revenue performance has not been particularly good. Annual AI revenue growth reportedly slowed to 13% in the first quarter, compared with 28% in the previous quarter.

Krithivasan himself wants the business to grow by as much as 25% per quarter in the long term.

TCS has also invested US$1 billion in talent development and in making AI accessible internally. The focus is on training, targeted recruitment and specialisation in AI-based technology.