Amaravati to host India's first Quantum Valley Centre by 2026, say experts at workshop curtain-raiser
Top national and international experts from IBM, TCS, LTIMindtree, and the State government addressed the session, sharing insights on how quantum computing can transform sectors such as healthcare, finance, logistics, education, cybersecurity, and research.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Secretary Pradyumna emphasised that quantum computing is a fast, accurate, and revolutionary technology already being adopted globally. 'From banking and defence to healthcare and education, quantum technology is entering lives faster than expected,' he said, noting that Andhra Pradesh, with its strong IT talent, is well-positioned to lead this technological revolution. He announced that the government will establish the Quantum Valley Centre in Amaravati by January 2026, and affirmed the State's commitment to the National Quantum Mission.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Muted IT hiring to focus on skill-driven freshers
iStock Despite soft peddling on hiring mid and senior level employees, software services firms are set to hire cautiously with a focus on skill-driven freshers that is estimated to grow 3-5% compared to the first half (H1) of the year, recruitment experts said. A large part of the new hiring is likely to be focused around junior and entry level positions driven by lesser employee expenses and a steeper learning curve. 'Hiring may remain muted in H2 unless there is a clear uptick in client spending. Lateral hiring will be need-based, while fresh hiring could be calibrated to future deal visibility. Overall, H2 may see 3–5% hiring growth compared to H1, driven largely by demand for AI, cloud, and platform roles,' said Neeti Sharma, chief executive officer at mass staffing firm Teamlease Digital. Sharma said the hiring is concentrated at junior and niche mid-levels with in-demand skills. While the ongoing trade and macro uncertainties have slowed down business demand with cumulative workforce additions by top five IT firms - Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, HCLTech, Wipro and Tech Mahindra – shrinking to below 5,000 in the April-June quarter. While overall net additions have been on the decline for the past four years from over 53,000 employees added in FY21, stronger deal momentum amid hopes of clarity on tariff policy in the second half of the year, and the need for specialised skills is making outsourcing firms optimistic about recruitment of freshers. For the full fiscal year that ends in March 2026, TCS and Wipro have continued to maintain fresher hiring targets of up to 40,000 and 12,000, respectively. Neck-to-neck rivals Cognizant – Indian-origin US-headquartered – and homegrown Infosys aim to hire 15,000-20,000 freshers each. Cognizant has over 70% of its employee base in India. This comes on the back of strong deal bookings expected to convert into execution sooner than later. For now, experts are unanimous that most IT services companies are focused on optimising costs, improving utilisation, and recalibrating talent for future-ready roles. Peer companies are not expected to follow suit expansively with TCS' July decision to lay off 2% of its employees – around 12,000 there are visible fissures of the slowing or deferred business impact.'Over the next couple of quarters, we expect a measured approach rather than a widespread wave of retrenchments. Hiring is concentrated at the entry level, a strategic move to manage costs and invest in future talent. Companies are equipping freshers with new-age skills through robust training programs,' said Aditya Narayan Mishra, MD & CEO of mass recruitment firm CIEL Sharma added that restructuring is 'more visible at mid to senior levels, especially in roles with lower billability, overlap due to M&A, or outdated tech stacks.'Mishra anticipates a slight uptick in hiring activity in H2, particularly in high-demand skill areas like AI/ML, cybersecurity, cloud engineering, and digital consulting.'With many AI pilots underway, companies will begin identifying the real ROI (return on investment) and start hiring talent that can scale viable projects. However, the growth will be selective and skills-led, not volume-driven,' Mishra said.A Randstad Digital 'India Talent Insights Report 2025' report by showed that AI and ML roles alone saw a 39% demand surge in 2024 despite overall IT hiring declining by 7% due to macroeconomic pressures and global points to a sustained shift that will continue over the next 12–18 months.'Tier-2 cities are gaining momentum, with locations like Chandigarh and Coimbatore leading growth in junior and mid-level IT hiring—driven largely by GCC expansion and distributed workforce models. We expect selective hiring in niche areas, a focus on outcome-based talent, and growing demand for AI-led transformation skills,' the report said. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. IndiGo's GIFT City unit: Simple expansion or is there more to it than meets the eye? GST cut to benefit; but who gains the most? Good, bad, ugly: How will higher ethanol in petrol play out for you? Why are mid-cap stocks fizzling out? It's not just about Trump tariffs. Stock Radar: This hotel stock is showing signs of bottoming out; time to buy? Logistics sector: Be tactical in the face of head & tailwinds; 6 logistics stocks with an upside potential of over 30% Stock picks of the week: 5 stocks with consistent score improvement and return potential of more than 25% in 1 year History of wealth creators: Everything should be in context, whether it is PE or PEG; on a standalone basis they mean nothing
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Muted IT hiring to focus on skill-driven freshers
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills ETtech Despite soft peddling on hiring mid and senior level employees, software services firms are set to hire cautiously with a focus on skill-driven freshers that is estimated to grow 3-5% compared to the first half (H1) of the year, recruitment experts said.A large part of the new hiring is likely to be focused around junior and entry level positions driven by lesser employee expenses and a steeper learning curve.'Hiring may remain muted in H2 unless there is a clear uptick in client spending. Lateral hiring will be need-based, while fresh hiring could be calibrated to future deal visibility. Overall, H2 may see 3–5% hiring growth compared to H1, driven largely by demand for AI, cloud, and platform roles,' said Neeti Sharma, chief executive officer at mass staffing firm Teamlease said the hiring is concentrated at junior and niche mid-levels with in-demand the ongoing trade and macro uncertainties have slowed down business demand with cumulative workforce additions by top five IT firms - Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys , HCLTech, Wipro and Tech Mahindra – shrinking to below 5,000 in the April-June overall net additions have been on the decline for the past four years from over 53,000 employees added in FY21, stronger deal momentum amid hopes of clarity on tariff policy in the second half of the year, and the need for specialised skills is making outsourcing firms optimistic about recruitment of the full fiscal year that ends in March 2026, TCS and Wipro have continued to maintain fresher hiring targets of up to 40,000 and 12,000, respectively. Neck-to-neck rivals Cognizant – Indian-origin US-headquartered – and homegrown Infosys aim to hire 15,000-20,000 freshers each. Cognizant has over 70% of its employee base in comes on the back of strong deal bookings expected to convert into execution sooner than later. For now, experts are unanimous that most IT services companies are focused on optimising costs, improving utilisation, and recalibrating talent for future-ready companies are not expected to follow suit expansively with TCS' July decision to lay off 2% of its employees – around 12,000 there are visible fissures of the slowing or deferred business impact.'Over the next couple of quarters, we expect a measured approach rather than a widespread wave of retrenchments. Hiring is concentrated at the entry level, a strategic move to manage costs and invest in future talent. Companies are equipping freshers with new-age skills through robust training programs,' said Aditya Narayan Mishra, MD & CEO of mass recruitment firm CIEL Sharma added that restructuring is 'more visible at mid to senior levels, especially in roles with lower billability, overlap due to M&A, or outdated tech stacks.'Mishra anticipates a slight uptick in hiring activity in H2, particularly in high-demand skill areas like AI/ML, cybersecurity, cloud engineering, and digital consulting.'With many AI pilots underway, companies will begin identifying the real ROI (return on investment) and start hiring talent that can scale viable projects. However, the growth will be selective and skills-led, not volume-driven,' Mishra said.A Randstad Digital 'India Talent Insights Report 2025' report by showed that AI and ML roles alone saw a 39% demand surge in 2024 despite overall IT hiring declining by 7% due to macroeconomic pressures and global points to a sustained shift that will continue over the next 12–18 months.'Tier-2 cities are gaining momentum, with locations like Chandigarh and Coimbatore leading growth in junior and mid-level IT hiring—driven largely by GCC expansion and distributed workforce models. We expect selective hiring in niche areas, a focus on outcome-based talent, and growing demand for AI-led transformation skills,' the report said.
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Growth hunters and margin hawks: The two blocs in India's IT industry
India's $283-billion information technology (IT) industry appears to be fragmenting into two distinct blocs, one prioritizing growth through large deal wins and the other pursuing profitability at a time when artificial intelligence (AI)-led automation and global uncertainty have made clients both demanding and cautious. Two large IT services firms—HCL Technologies Ltd (HCLTech) and Wipro Ltd—and at least two smaller peers—Hexaware Technologies Ltd and Mphasis Ltd—are concentrating on growth at the cost of profitability, underscoring the large deal wins by these companies, analysts said. Last month, HCLTech lowered its full-year operating margin target to 17-18% from its earlier stated 18-19%. Although the management of the country's third-largest IT services firm attributed it to restructuring costs, many analysts believe it reflects the Noida-based company's flexibility in winning more business. 'One potential conclusion that the Street may draw is that HCLTech is trading off margins for revenue growth. This perception is reinforced by the downward revision of its Ebit (earnings before interest and taxes) margin guidance band—from 19-20% in FY2022 to 17-18% for FY2026, marking the second cut in four years," said Kotak Institutional Equities analysts Kawaljeet Saluja, Sathishkumar S., and Vamshi Krishna, in a note dated 14 July. Similarly, Bengaluru-based Wipro, which has secured about $8 billion of large deals under chief executive Srini Palia's one-year stint, has stated that growth remains a priority. "For now, our number one priority would be growth," said Aparna Iyer, chief financial officer of Wipro, during the company's post-earnings call on 17 July. The management attributed this to upfront investments in its deal wins. 'But looking forward, our focus is going to be conversion of some of these mega deal wins that we have had, large deal wins that we have had. And some of these large deal wins will come with upfront investment and lower margins, right? So, there are going to be pressures that are going to get created," said Iyer, during the post-earnings analyst call. HCLTech and Wipro's approach is in contrast to Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS), which continues to emphasise that it remains committed to its aspirational profitability band of 26-28% in the long term. TCS ended with 24.3% operating profit margin last year. On 28 July, TCS also announced that it would be cutting 2% of its workforce, or about 12,200 employees, as part of various 'strategic initiatives' being undertaken by the company. This exercise, the country's largest private employer said, was aimed at its middle and senior management. At any IT outsourcer, employees at middle and senior levels come with fatter paychecks, pressuring the company's profitability. According to a Mint report on 28 July, TCS's layoff decision was an attempt by the Mumbai-based company to mitigate the impact of AI on operating margins. Clients are demanding up to 30% price discounts on deals, as AI is reducing cost. India's fifth-largest IT firm Tech Mahindra also laid out a plan to boost operating margins when it announced its three-year roadmap in April last year. As part of this plan, the company is looking at increasing its operating margins to 15% by FY27. The Pune-based IT outsourcer is also not considering any acquisition and is embarking on cost-saving initiatives, which help reduce expenses by $250 million every year. It ended last year with operating margins of 9.7%. The country's second-largest outsourcer Infosys Ltd is trying to balance both revenue growth and margins, without sacrificing either. Phil Fersht, chief executive of HFS Research, said that larger IT outsourcers are more likely to protect margins because of shareholder pressure than their smaller peers, which are willing to pay the price for growth because new logos and deals have the ability to change their market position. 'The large services firms like TCS, Infosys and Tech Mahindra, are doubling down on protecting margins because that's their contract with investors— consistent profitability over volatility. Many of the midcaps such as Coforge and Persistent, are signalling they'll sacrifice some near-term margin to grab market share and win large deals," said Fersht. TCS, Infosys, HCLTech, Wipro and Tech Mahindra ended last year with revenues of $30.18 billion, $19.28 billion, $13.84 billion, $10.51 billion, and $6.26 billion, respectively. While TCS, Infosys, and HCLTech reported a revenue increase of 3.78%, 3.85%, and 4.3%, respectively, Wipro and Tech Mahindra's revenue declined by 2.7% and 0.2%, respectively. Smaller IT firms such as Mphasis and Hexaware are unambiguously focussed on winning more deals now in order to secure their long-term growth. 'The prioritization for growth by holding margins, that's the kind of the North Star that we're still following," said Nitin Rakesh, chief executive of Mphasis, during the company's post-earnings call with analysts on 25 July. Mphasis, the country's eighth-largest IT firm, reported $1.68 billion in revenue last year, up 4.43%. Its operating margins jumped 20 basis points last year to 15.3%. Hexaware has adopted a similar approach. '... will some of these deals require some sacrifice in margins? If that is what it takes, we will happily do so. We're not quite at that point yet, but if that's what it comes to, we'll happily do so," said Ramakarthikeyan Srikrishna, chief executive officer of Hexaware, during the company's post-earnings conference call on 25 July. The tenth-largest software firm Hexaware Technologies ended last year with $1.43 billion in revenue, up 13.7%. Its margins jumped 100 basis points to 13.6% in this time. The emergence of two blocs in the Indian IT sector comes as companies battle uncertain macroeconomic conditions subduing demand, stiff competition, AI leading to restructuring, and dwindling margins. 'IT service providers are between a rock and a hard place: go after growth and compromise margins, or the other way around," said Thomas Reuner, principal analyst at Pierre Audoin Consultants. 'On the one hand, the market recovery was pushed out yet again. On the other hand, reflecting on the geopolitical headwinds, customer requirements demand tangible outcomes, acceleration of their AI journey, and cost reduction. The answer to those requirements is not a more nuanced account mining to be able to react selectively, but finding new models and answers to respond to all of them," said Reuner. Fersht said AI was responsible for the two fronts in the country's IT industry. 'AI is redrawing the rules, and the future is unsettled. That's why we're seeing a clear split, with some (IT) services firms gunning for growth, chasing large AI-led transformation deals even at the cost of margins, while others are protecting profitability at all costs. This divergence will only widen as clients demand more AI-driven value, and firms are forced to show whether they are builders of future growth or guardians of current margins," said Fersht.
