
Demand for AI professionals in India projected to touch one million by 2026: Report
As the country aspires to become a $23-$35 trillion economy by 2047, higher education--particularly in engineering--is undergoing a fundamental transformation to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving job market shaped by AI, automation, and interdisciplinary innovation.
Engineering education is at the heart of this shift. According to the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the number of approved B. Tech seats for the 2024-25 academic year has risen to 14.9 lakh--a nearly 16 per cent increase over four years. This growth is largely driven by a more than 50 per cent rise in seats for Computer Science and allied streams such as AI/ML, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and Blockchain--mirroring strong industry demand.
India's tech education landscape is increasingly embracing interdisciplinary and industry-integrated learning to nurture a new generation of engineers who can code, create, collaborate, and lead innovation. The transition from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) to STEAM, adding Arts to the mix, is gaining ground, blending technical knowledge with design thinking, communication, psychology, law, and business.
Recently, Symbiosis International (Deemed University) announced the launch of Symbiosis Artificial Intelligence Institute (SAII), an artificial intelligence (AI)-focused institute. According to the institute, SAII will integrate cutting-edge AI into academic programmes and research.
"By embracing AI, we are not just keeping pace with global innovation but also empowering our students to become responsible innovators and problem-solvers who will shape the future. Curriculum at Symbiosis combines strong theoretical foundations with real-world applications from day one, creating a dynamic ecosystem that fosters both technical depth and interdisciplinary breadth. And this reflects in programs offered by our Symbiosis Dubai campus. Both B. Tech and BCA integrate AI in specialisations enforcing learning and development and preparing students for the future," said Amruta Yeravdekar Ruikar, Head of International Admissions & Promotions, Symbiosis International University.
The India Skills Report 2024 by Wheebox forecasts that India's AI industry will reach $28.8 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 45 per cent. The report highlights that the AI-skilled workforce has seen a 14-fold increase from 2016 to 2023, making India one of the top five fastest-growing AI talent hubs, alongside Singapore, Finland, Ireland, and Canada.
"The surge in demand for AI professionals' stems from rapid technological progress. As AI reshapes productivity, operations, and innovation, preparing a future-ready workforce is imperative. At SRM Institute of Science and Technology, we offer interdisciplinary programs in areas like Medical Engineering, ECE with Data science, Biotechnology (Food Technology) and AI-ML Embedded Systems to bridge emerging domains. Our strong academia-industry partnerships provide students with real-world exposure and global competitiveness," according to Dr. Kathiravan Kannan, Director, SRM Group of Institutions, Ramapuram, Chennai and Tiruchirappalli.
This interdisciplinary momentum is now a nationwide trend as institutions are increasingly embedding research-driven curricula, industry mentorship and global exposure into their programs. New focus areas like Extended Reality (XR), ethical AI, data visualization, and digital manufacturing are becoming foundational to modern tech education.
According to Dr Yajulu Medury, Vice Chancellor, Mahindra University, "We see a growing need to foster an innovation ecosystem driven by AI, for today's youth by providing experiential learning opportunities such as internships, global immersion programmes, and research initiatives. At Mahindra University, we believe academic excellence is achieved when rigorous foundational knowledge is seamlessly integrated with real-world applications. Our multidisciplinary approach empowers students to understand the technical concepts of AI while also cultivating critical problem-solving abilities, adaptability, ethics and emotional intelligence."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
KGiSL SEZ registers 25 % growth in exports last fiscal
KGiSL's Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Electronic Hardware and Software, including ITeS, in Coimbatore saw 25 % year-on-year growth in exports in 2024-2025. The SEZ registered ₹ 6,769.97 crores worth exports last financial year, which is 65 % of all IT-SEZ exports from Coimbatore. The total exports from the KGiSL SEZ since 2008-2009 has touched ₹50,000 crore. According to Ashok Bakthavathsalam, founder of the KGiSL Group, apart from three anchor companies (Robert Bosch, Cognizant, and NTT Data), the SEZ has 38 IT and ITeS companies, many of which focus on innovation. Currently, the zone provides direct employment to approximately 34,717 professionals and along with indirect employment, the total employment generated by the SEZ has crossed 50,000. The KGISL SEZ is poised for expansion with the development of Wynfra CyberCity, which will span 1.9 million that will be LEED-certified andf wellness-certified. About three lakh of this space, coming up at an investment of ₹260 crore in the first phase, will be operational by September next year. The total investment in the project is estimated to be ₹900 crore to ₹1,100 crore. 'This new addition is specifically designed to cater to international companies looking to establish Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in Coimbatore,' a press release from the KGiSL SEZ said.

The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
A.P. CM to leave for Singapore on July 26 night
A high-level delegation of the Andhra Pradesh government led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is all set to leave for Singapore on Saturday night. The delegation will be on a five-day tour aimed at promoting the government's policies and attracting investments to the State. The delegation comprises Ministers Nara Lokesh (IT, Electronics & Communications, Real Time Governance, and HRD), P. Narayana (Municipal Administration & Urban Development) and T.G. Bharath (Industries & Commerce and Food Processing), Secretaries Bhaskar Katamneni (ITE&C), N. Yuvaraj (Industries & Commerce) and Kartikeya Misra (CMO), A.P. Capital Region Development Authority Commissioner K. Kannababu, and A.P. Economic Development Board CEO C.M. Saikanth Varma. On the first day opf the tour, the Chief Minister will attend a South East Asia Telugu Diaspora programme being organised by Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) at the One World International School in Singapore, in which Telugu industrialists, business leaders, investors, and professionals from countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are expected to participate. Mr. Naidu will invite the Telugu industrialists and NRIs to take part in the Zero Poverty – P4 initiative, and discussions will be held on enhancing exports from the State. Focus will be laid on generating employment through skill development programmes. The delegation is scheduled to visit infrastructure and logistics hubs, including ports and sports facilities in Singapore.


United News of India
21 hours ago
- United News of India
Companies in Hyde are really lucky to have Genome Valley: Estonian Ambassador to India Ms Marje
Hyderabad, July 25 (UNI) Estonian Ambassador to India Ms. Marje Luup today said that our business delegation, which had a three-day visit already, visited the Genome Valley in Hyderabad where we spent a couple of hours and also saw the vaccine production. ' I really have to compliment Hyderabad for having this kind of park. I would say that the companies in Hyderabad are really lucky to have this kind of Genome Valley', Ms Marje told reporters here. During the three-day visit, she said that our delegation met the dignitaries of Telangana, including Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and Minister for IT Sridhar Babu and Chief Secretary Rao and the Special Chief Secretary. In addition, we had a lot of interaction with private companies, the Ambassador said that we brought biotech companies delegation in 2022, and now it has been three years, so this time we came again with a business delegation, and we have the representatives of Estonian health tech cluster, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) cluster, and AI and Robotics. These representatives are here and we have been trying to identify the possible collaboration areas with the companies here in Telangana, she said investments can work from both sides, so of course we are always welcoming Indian investments into Estonia, and we are also looking for possibilities for our companies to invest here. To a question, she said it is not only about export or investments, but also it's about collaboration of different companies in different software solutions, for example. To find out the possibilities for both sides of the businesses to have some useful new developments, she said the trade relations between Estonia and India, then there are quite a lot of traditional groups like we are importing timber, we are importing also Estonian cheese is available on the Indian market, Estonian liquors are available. Machinery we are exporting and some metals as well. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of potential in our trade. The trade is too small but it could be much bigger in numbers, she said 267 million euro bilateral trade covering merchandising and services. We had many very good discussions about possible cooperation in biotech and in ICT, she said Estonia is one of the frontrunners in ICT and Cyber security is also one of our strengths. So, these possibilities we have discussed, but also in engineering, and we have been also talking about usage of AI, she said that we have the representative of the health tech cluster, then there has been a lot of interest towards different solutions in Estonian health system. 'We have a patient portal, for example, where the data is stored electronically. We have an e-prescription, which can be used nowadays in nine countries of Europe, the Ambassador said that there are no paper prescriptions anymore in the country . The data is digitally disregarded. If you go to different doctors, they can access your data from the patient's portal. The data is always there, she said. In the case of cyber security, she said we are now 100% digital. Then we also have to protect our data. This is the reason why we have developed so much in cyber security. We have created a 'data embassy' in Luxembourg. So it's dubbing everything in our databases in Estonia. And this is rather a unique solution in the world and we are the first country to use the data embassy, she said. Reliance has invested in our country and it has a research and development center in Estonia, she said. When asked about any companies coming up from India to invest, she said ' yes' that some developments are in progress and I can't mention the names yet. But the biggest ones which are already present in Estonia certainly are Reliance and K-Champ. 'We have more than 4,000 e-residents from India in Estonia and they have established more than 1,000 companies in Estonia. All of those companies are not active, but most of them are, she said. And for Indian businesses, it's a possibility to enter the European market and also the Scandinavian market, which are big and quite rich markets, the Ambassador said. Data centers also have potential in terms of education. Data center is, come take a seat, she said some data centers are already working and enlarging their capacities. The ambassador was accompanied by a higher powered delegation including Mr Svewn Aulik, Ms Madli Rahuvarm and Ms Katre Ekjas –experts in health, ICT , e-governance, Cybersecurity, AI and robotics. UNI KNR GNK