Thousands of specialized engineers deployed by AWS, Anthropic to prove AI is worth the investment

Date:
Fri, 16 Oct 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Description:
Multiple AI giants have launched their own FDE schemes, but consultancies are also proving to be a vital part of the chain.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter AI giants are investing
billions to train engineers in a bid to help their customers US FDE engineer jobs rose 6x year-over-year, two years in a row Consultancies are advertising the most FDE jobs, it seems US tech giants are now spending billions of dollars deploying specialist engineers to help their customers realize the benefits of AI, with AWS, Anthropic, OpenAI and Google all recently
announcing expansions to their forward-deployed engineer (FDE) programs.

We've already surpassed the point that model capabilities were the limit
now, companies are struggling with legacy infrastructure and identifying real-world use cases, so AI developers are getting involved to help them out. As part of the ongoing shift in how AI is being sold, those developers are no longer just selling their AI to customers they're also taking responsibility over its deployment. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: FDEs are the future of enterprise AI adoption Already, we've seen OpenAI backing its FDE business with a massive $4 billion investment and AWS footing a $1 billion bill for FDEs, while Anthropic shared plans to train 10,000
specialist engineers by the end of 2027.

Lightcast research even highlights the extensive growth in FDE job roles, with around 200 FDE job ads shared in the US in 2023 and a similar number in 2024. By 2025, this had increased 6x to around 1,200 advertised positions,
yet in the first nine months of 2026 the report found 7,300 roles, another 6x increase year-over-year. You may like Who really needs Forward Deployed Engineers around AI? Anthropic earmarks $100 million to train over 10,000 AI engineers in push to develop enterprise AI Why tech vendors are key to
solving AI's adoption problem

"As businesses move from developing AI technology to applying it, they need professionals who can bridge the gap between technical products and operational problems," the report explains.

Interestingly, three of the four top companies advertising roles were consultancies (Deloitte, Accenture and KPMG), with just one of them being a tech firm (Google). Consultancies are positioning themselves as a key part of the chain, and Anthropic's recent announcement to support engineer roles within third-party consultancies aligns with this emerging trend. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Lightcast Head of Global Research Elena Magrini explained in an interview
with CNBC that a sharp growth in wages also implies that these companies are fighting over a limited pool of talent.

Looking ahead, the most successful AI companies may no longer be the ones
with the most advanced models rather, they could be the ones using human engineers in the best way to gain more customers. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/thousands-of-specialized-engineers-deployed-by-a ws-anthropic-to-prove-ai-is-worth-the-investment


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