In the heart of Hyderabad, EPAM powers India’s AI dream to take flight

When Larry Solomon, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at EPAM, describes the company’s commitment to India, he does not mince words. “We’re not just doubling down, we’re tripling down on our talent here in India,” he says. The country has emerged as EPAM’s primary growth engine, a place where the quality of engineering talent, their hunger to learn, and their analytical abilities align perfectly with the company’s promise of delivery excellence. “India is the future of our company,” Solomon asserts, highlighting that out of EPAM’s global workforce of over 60,000, more than 12,000 are based in India. The company’s growth trajectory points to India maintaining and expanding this lead, with plans to hire an additional 3,000 employees in 2026 alone.

This prioritisation is reflected not only in headcount but also in leadership attention and resource allocation. Senior leaders, including Solomon himself, make frequent visits to understand local dynamics, reinforce commitment, and ensure that strategic investments translate into tangible outcomes. For EPAM, success in India is measured as much by the quality of its talent pipeline as by the scale.

Central to EPAM’s India strategy is its new 60,000-square-foot Hyderabad learning facility, dedicated exclusively to early-career engineers and fresh graduates. This is a significant departure from the company’s traditional, hybrid facilities, which cater to a mix of experience levels. The Hyderabad site is intentionally designed to accelerate junior engineers' readiness for an AI-first world.

Solomon describes the facility as more than just a training centre. “It’s multi-faceted, multi-functional, and purpose-built. It enables a different training philosophy—collaborative, experiential, and team-oriented,” he explains. The space can accommodate over 600 individuals and is organised to foster real-world problem-solving and teamwork, moving decisively away from passive, lecture-based instruction. “Most training environments are one-sided. This is different. It’s about teams working together, learning by doing, and getting ready to work with clients from day one.”

The recent ribbon-cutting ceremony, attended by hundreds, including members of EPAM’s leadership, underscored the excitement and significance of this initiative. 

For Solomon, it is a testament to EPAM’s commitment not only to hiring top talent but also to preparing them thoroughly to deliver value to clients.

One of the persistent challenges in the technology sector is the gap between the skills imparted by academic institutions and those required by industry, particularly in fast-moving domains like AI. When asked whether the Hyderabad facility is the solution to this gap, Solomon is candid. “It’s not the answer, but it’s an answer,” he says. 

There is no single remedy for the supply-demand mismatch in AI-ready talent. However, EPAM’s approach is to provide a differentiated start for early-career engineers—one that goes beyond textbook knowledge and cultivates real-world analytical and problem-solving skills.

The facility's design mirrors this philosophy. It features a variety of workspaces to encourage collaboration, project work, and agile problem-solving. Rather than rows of trainees passively listening to an instructor, the environment is dynamic, supporting quick scrums and teamwork that mirror the challenges engineers will face with clients.

Perwez Khan, Head of Enterprise Architecture, at EPAM elaborates on this point. “There will always be a crunch of good engineers, whether they are AI-native or otherwise. The real shortage is in foundational skills—mindset, design thinking, hunger to learn and innovate,” he says. This is why EPAM invests so heavily in creating a culture where curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to experiment are valued just as much as technical expertise.

EPAM’s commitment to talent development extends well beyond its own new hires. The company has forged multiple collaborations with universities across India. These partnerships go beyond recruitment; they are about shaping the very foundation of future engineering talent. EPAM runs free certification programmes open to anyone, delivers talks and workshops on campus, and even helps universities build curricula that are closely aligned with industry needs.

Those who complete EPAM’s programmes are EPAM-certified and given priority in recruitment, but the broader aim is to give back to society. As Khan notes, “Whether we hire them or not is secondary. We truly believe in investing in people and giving back because we’ve all been in their shoes at the start of our careers.”

A unique aspect of EPAM’s model is that many instructors and mentors are practising engineers from production teams, not just professional trainers. This ensures that the learning is grounded in real-world challenges and that students are exposed to the latest industry practices.

The global competition for AI-ready talent is fiercer than ever. Every industry, from technology to manufacturing, is undergoing digital transformation and competing for the same pool of skilled professionals. Yet, Solomon remains confident in EPAM’s ability to attract and retain the talent it needs. “Is it difficult? It’s not difficult, but it’s not easy either. We have to work harder and faster, and offer something unique,” he says. Speed, he emphasises, is a differentiator—not only in client delivery but also in hiring and onboarding. EPAM’s talent acquisition teams are motivated by results and operate with a sense of urgency that sets the company apart.

While the average age of EPAM’s workforce is trending younger, Larry insists that age is not the metric that matters. “We’re focused on capability, on raw talent, on the right skills in the right places. The best solutions come from diverse, well-prepared teams, not simply from those with the most experience or the latest technical skills. Diversity of thought, experience, and culture is what delivers value to our clients.”

How does EPAM measure the success of its talent development initiatives? Solomon points to both quantitative and qualitative outcomes. On the quantitative side, the company looks at success rates through training, pull-through rates across different stages of employment, and metrics such as client utilisation and billability. But numbers aren’t the whole story. “It’s also about the feedback we get from clients, the repeat business, and, ultimately, the highest compliment—when a client wants to hire one of our engineers for their own team,” the leader says.

EPAM’s growth ambitions in India are robust, but the company’s vision is global. Alongside India, Latin America, Ukraine, Poland, and other parts of Central and Eastern Europe are key talent markets. Yet, India remains at the forefront, not only in numbers but in the intensity of investment and innovation.

The Hyderabad facility is a blueprint for what EPAM hopes to replicate in other fast-growing markets. “What we’re seeing in India is special—not just because of the size, but because of the attention and resources we’re investing,” says Solomon. The facility and its associated programmes reflect a belief that talent development must be both localised and scalable, tailored to the unique strengths and challenges of each market.

For Solomon, the journey is just beginning. As he puts it, “Our words are backed up by our numbers and our actions.” With a relentless focus on quality, capability, and continuous growth, EPAM is not only preparing its workforce for the AI era but also setting a benchmark for nurturing talent in the digital age—one engineer at a time.