Indian IT Fresher Hiring Rebounds Toward 135,000 as Agrani Eyes ₹850 Crore AI GPU Funding

Campus and entry-level recruitment across India’s IT services industry is turning around after roughly two years of suppressed activity, though hiring standards for junior engineers have climbed noticeably.

Data from staffing specialist Quess Group estimates that fresher onboarding—which bottomed out at around 110,000 in FY26—is projected to rebound to 115,000–135,000 during the current fiscal year. This trajectory follows four consecutive years of contraction: FY22: 380,000 FY23: 250,000 FY24: 155,000 FY25: 125,000 FY26: ~110,000

The recovery took hold during the June quarter, led by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, and HCLTech, which together recruited approximately 19,000 entry-level staff, according to Nasscom’s September quarter review spanning 29 IT firms. However, enterprise employers are requiring immediate deployment capabilities in AI, cloud architectures, data analytics, and cybersecurity to eliminate extended training cycles.

Agrani Labs Eyes Landmark Semiconductor Round In deep-tech venture activity, Bengaluru-based Agrani Labs is in discussions to secure ₹800–850 crore in an investment round featuring Samsung, 360 One Asset Management, and Peak XV Partners.

• Capital Breakdown: Peak XV is expected to commit around ₹180–200 crore, alongside an additional ₹120–130 crore targeted under the government’s Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) scheme.
• Valuation: The deal is anticipated to price the semiconductor venture at roughly ₹2,400–2,500 crore post-money, ranking among the largest early-stage funding events for an Indian chip company.
• Founding Team & Product: Established by former Intel and AMD leaders Dheemanth Nagaraj, Ashok Jagannathan, Rajesh Vivekanandham, and Srikanth Nimmagadda, Agrani is building enterprise-grade AI GPUs and full-stack software tailored for hyperscale data centers.