Horiba sets goal of 20 billion yen from Indian operations by 2028

Wipro's Chief Technology Officer stated that the implementation of the company's artificial intelligence initiatives has led to a productivity increase comparable to the work of twenty thousand employees. These employees were subsequently redeployed within the Indian IT company.

These statements come as India's $315 billion software services industry faces the necessity of adopting AI, which is transforming hiring processes, software development, and contract closures.

Wipro, which had approximately 243,000 employees in June, is transitioning to a 'human and AI operational model.' According to Sandhya Arun, over 100,000 employees are undergoing training and receiving certifications related to advanced AI technologies.

Arun emphasized that this does not necessarily mean replacing humans with agents, as an engineer can manage a group of such agents used in other projects or trained for different roles.

Arun's comments echo the opinion of Wipro's Chairman of the Board, Rishad Premji, expressed last week. Previously, India's largest software services exporter, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), reported in June a slowdown in hiring as the company moves towards aligning its workforce size with the number of AI agents in its staff.

TCS plans to form a team of up to 8,900 engineers deployed at client sites, while Infosys plans for around 6,000 over the next few years. These engineers work directly with clients to accelerate AI adoption.

Wipro is also expanding its pool of client-facing engineers. Although Arun declined to state a specific target, she suggested that the number of such personnel at Wipro would be comparable to competitors.

Arun cautioned against excessive focus on the role itself, noting that the broader task is ensuring all engineers acquire the skills necessary to work effectively with AI systems. She stated that the shift in focus should be from productivity to achieving results, asserting that AI should be evaluated by its ability to improve customer experience, create new revenue streams, and assist in achieving business goals.

Wipro is the only IT company among the four Indian leaders that does not disclose AI revenue. According to Manoj Chandra Jha, a lead analyst at Nord-IQ Research, the firm is still in the early stages of AI monetization, which requires investment compared to its competitors. The real test will come when these deals start generating revenue and restoring margins.

He added that Wipro's level of investment in AI-related training and ecosystem partnerships is comparable to companies like TCS, Infosys, and HCLTech, but Wipro lags in commercialization maturity.

Japan is implementing changes to its military strategy. The Japanese Ministry of Defense has requested a defense budget of 8.9 trillion yen ($55.6 billion) for the 2027 fiscal year. This amount exceeds the figures for the current year.

Furthermore, further increases in defense spending are expected after the government, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, adopts a new national security and defense strategy.