NTT DATA’s Ambitious Plan to Reskill 40,000 Employees in India for AI Development

NTT DATA has set an ambitious goal to reskill all 40,000 of its employees in India into AI-native developers. This initiative aims to tap into India’s vast engineering talent pool and enhance the company's Generative AI capabilities on a global scale.

According to a spokesperson, the company plans to customize its services to align with India's unique needs, particularly focusing on cost sensitivity and data confidentiality.

As a global IT services provider, NTT DATA currently employs over 40,000 professionals in India, offshoring engineering resources to support projects worldwide. Carlos Galve, Head of the Global Generative AI Office, emphasized the importance of India for the company's future, stating, "We aim to reskill all our employees in order to become AI-native developers."

The reskilling program is designed to boost productivity, allowing employees to support a significantly larger number of projects in the future. Kenji Motohashi, another executive at NTT DATA, noted that the same number of employees could potentially manage not just 10, but up to 100 projects as they evolve in their roles.

NTT DATA has established a strong presence in India, with research and development centers in Japan and Silicon Valley. However, when questioned about the possibility of opening an R&D center in India, NTT executives indicated there are no immediate plans for such an expansion.

The company recognizes that the Indian AI market necessitates a specialized approach, particularly regarding cost and data handling. Motohashi highlighted that NTT DATA’s partner, OpenAI, is offering services at significantly lower rates for the Indian market, aiming to maintain competitiveness.

Additionally, there is a growing demand for private infrastructure among Indian clients to ensure data confidentiality. Motohashi stated, "Some clients prefer their own infrastructure over a shared environment for data storage."

NTT DATA is also focused on supporting Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India, which are vital for the firm’s operations. The company views the Generative AI era as merely the beginning of a larger technological evolution.

Looking ahead, Galve noted that future disruptions will likely come from advancements in quantum computing and artificial general intelligence, hinting at exciting developments in the next 5-10 years.