37% of Entry-Level Tasks in India Already Done by AI, Finds Cognizant and Pearson Study

• Employers to focus on interdisciplinary skills; expect new hires to supervise AI

Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) and Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L) today released findings from their joint study, The AI Workforce Pulse: The Adaptability Imperative, highlighting how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming India’s entry-level workforce at a faster pace than the global average, while simultaneously creating new career pathways and urgent skilling challenges.

Based on a survey of 750 HR leaders across the US, UK and India, the study finds that 37% of entry-level tasks in India are already performed by AI, compared to a 33% global average, with 18% of HR leaders reporting that AI now handles half or more of entry-level work, signalling accelerated disruption in one of the country’s largest workforce segments.

The findings point to four interconnected shifts shaping the AI workforce ahead:

Roles are Being Reinvented

• Nearly all (96%) HR leaders expect entry-level roles to evolve into positions where employees supervise or manage AI systems within the next five years.
• Nearly all HR professionals (94%) expect AI will generate new entry-level roles in the next five years that didn't exist before.
• More than 90% of respondents say middle managers are instrumental to redefining job roles as AI changes the day-to-day work of team members.
• Nearly all HR professionals (98%) are increasing focus on AI skills even for non-technical roles.

Employees in these roles are increasingly expected to manage AI outputs, validate decisions, interpret results and apply human judgment.

In India, 80% of organisations report that AI is enabling employees to focus on higher-value work, compared to 77% globally.

Human and Interdisciplinary Skills Are Increasingly Important

• Nearly all (97%) report soft skills matter more than ever, reflecting a need for adaptability, problem-solving, and human judgment.
• Two in three HR professionals (67%) report they value liberal arts degrees more than they used to in light of AI advancements.
• Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) HR professionals say broad, interdisciplinary backgrounds are more important for early-career talent than deep, specialized skillsets, with 65% of HR professionals in India reflecting this shift.

In addition, 91% of organisations in India place greater value on AI skills for non-technical roles, signalling a broader redefinition of what “job-ready” talent looks like.

Demand for AI Skills Is Rising, but Readiness Is Uneven

• 91% of HR professionals report increased employee demand for AI training over the past 12 months.
• 60% say their L&D programmes cannot keep pace with how quickly AI is transforming jobs, with India reporting a similar challenge at 63%.
• 54% of HR professionals say their organizations proactively arrange AI upskilling in anticipation of future roles evolving, while 46% say their organizations are not proactively arranging this training.

At the same time, India shows relative strength in how organisations are approaching learning:

• 63% of organisations in India have allotted time for AI training, higher than the U.S. (49%).

However, 61% of organisations in India report challenges finding the right talent, reflecting the pace at which skill requirements are evolving.

Middle Managers Are Critical to AI Adoption

• 95% of HR leaders say middle managers are critical to ensuring employees use AI effectively.
• 92% say middle managers play a crucial role in redefining job roles as AI reshapes day-to-day work.

Leadership Statements

Rajesh Varrier, President – Global Operations and Chairman & Managing Director, Cognizant India, said, India is at the forefront of how AI is transforming entry-level work, with organizations already embedding AI into day-to-day operations at scale. We are seeing a fundamental redesign of roles, where early-career talent is expected to work alongside AI and focus on higher-value outcomes.

AI is reshaping the talent landscape and exposing the limits of traditional talent and learning models,” said Kathy Diaz, Chief People Officer, Cognizant.

The new findings build on Cognizant’s earlier New Work, New World 2026 study, which found that AI is already impacting 93% of jobs, underscoring the urgency for employers to prepare for changing role expectations. Cognizant sees early-career talent as increasingly important in an AI-enabled workforce. After hiring 20,000 fresh graduates in 2025, the company expects to exceed that number in 2026, reflecting its continued investment in early-career talent and skill development as work evolves.

As work evolves, the most successful organizations will focus less on replacing tasks and more on building the capabilities that help humans and AI work together. That starts with early-career talent, said Ali Bebo, Chief Human Resources Officer, Pearson.

Through their partnership, Cognizant and Pearson are working together to help recent graduates, apprentices and mid-career professionals build skills in AI, cloud and digital technologies. Pearson supports Cognizant’s existing workforce development programs, including Synapse and its Immersive Learning Center in Chennai, to help create stronger development paths for the workforce.

Methodology

Cognizant and Pearson commissioned independent market research conducted by Wakefield Research in three markets: the US, UK and India, between March 23 and April 3, 2026, using an email invitation and an online survey among 750 HR professionals.

About Cognizant

Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is an AI builder and technology services provider, building full-stack AI solutions for clients. See how at www.cognizant.ai or @cognizant.

About Pearson

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. Visit us at plc.pearson.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes statements that may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Citizens GCC Joins Cognizant’s Flagship Outreach Program to Advance Rural Tech Talent in India

Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) has announced that Citizens Financial Group’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) has joined its flagship Outreach program to advance skilling and employability for college students in rural communities across Telangana.

The program launched in Hyderabad in 2019 has reached over 4,000 students in Telangana, with 478 hired into technology roles at Cognizant—92% of them women. Nationally, the program has impacted 60,000 students through partnerships with more than 100 institutions, including colleges and nonprofits.

“Our Hyderabad GCC is designed as a hub for innovation and collaboration, and partnering with Cognizant’s Outreach program allows us to extend that purpose beyond business into communities,” said Michael Ruttledge, Chief Information Officer and Head of Enterprise Technology & Security, Citizens Financial Group. “This marks the beginning of our volunteering journey in India, and we are proud that our GCC associates will volunteer their time and expertise to help students unlock new opportunities and pathways to pursue careers in technology.”

As part of the collaboration, Citizens GCC associates will volunteer weekly to deliver a structured five-step employability training program for students in rural and tribal areas. The sessions will cover generative AI, communication and soft skills, life skills and include readiness for the AMCAT employability test.

“Cognizant Outreach is a powerful example of how our people bring purpose to life—using their mentoring skills to uplift communities and create pathways to opportunity,” said Surya Gummadi, President – Americas, Cognizant. “Our collaboration with Citizens’ GCC in Hyderabad strengthens this mission, combining shared values and collective action to equip students—especially young women in underserved areas—with the skills and confidence to thrive in technology careers. Together, we’re bridging the gap between skilling and industry, and scaling impact where it’s needed most.”

Launched in April 2025, the Citizens-Cognizant Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Hyderabad serves as a next-generation innovation hub supporting Citizens’ digital transformation and technology modernization. The GCC is expected to scale up to 1,000 IT and Data and Analytics professionals by March 2026.

Cognizant Outreach is a global, employee-driven volunteer platform focused on driving digital inclusion and supporting community development through initiatives in education, employability, and environmental sustainability.

About Cognizant

Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) engineers modern businesses. We help our clients modernize technology, reimagine processes and transform experiences so they can stay ahead in our fast-changing world. Together, we’re improving everyday life. See how at www.cognizant.com or @cognizant.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $217.5 billion in assets as of December 31, 2024. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,100 ATMs and approximately 1,000 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn or Facebook.

Cognizant Launches World’s Largest Generative AI Hackathon with 250,000 Employees, Eyes GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Title

• Cognizant is pursuing a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title attempt for most participants in an online generative AI hackathon

Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) today announced it is attempting the largest global vibe coding event, with more than 250,000 employees – from HR and sales to engineering and marketing – registered to start developing ideas and embracing a new era of AI programming. To validate and celebrate the scale of this event, Cognizant is attempting a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for most participants in an online generative AI hackathon, a category that closely mirrors the structure and approach of its vibe coding event.

In the second quarter of this year, AI-generated code developed in collaboration with Cognizant employees increased to nearly 30 percent. Cognizant's vibe coding event kicks off today and will last a week, aiming to capitalize on an important inflection point: as AI-enabled coding increases, human labor is being reimagined, and every employee can play a role in this transformation. In 2023, Cognizant made a $1 billion bet to invest in AI across three years, and since then the company has focused on harnessing the productivity gains of AI to foster high value engagement from talent.

"We're thrilled to be attempting the first and largest vibe coding event, a groundbreaking initiative that underscores our commitment to advancing AI literacy across talent, no matter the technical skill," said Ravi Kumar S., CEO of Cognizant. "Historically, there's been a significant divide between those who had access to technology and those who didn't – but now, technology has been diffused into the hands of people who don't need deep digital skills to access it. This leveling of the playing field is enabling us to unleash new value in the workplace, driving innovation and progress across all backgrounds and expertise."

To support a range of technical and non-technical understanding across more than 330,000 employees, Cognizant partnered with leading vibe coding platforms including Lovable, Windsurf, Cursor, Gemini Code Assist, and GitHub Copilot. Upon registration, employees could select which platform to use based on their skill level. Additionally, to speed the rollout of an intuitive and comprehensive resource for employees, Cognizant vibe coded its own internal online hub within a month leading up to the event -- featuring registration, curated learning resources, step-by-step tutorials, and streamlined project submission processes.

"The age of AI has opened incredible opportunities. With Lovable, anyone, not just coders, can turn ideas into reality, instantly creating apps and websites by just talking to AI. This democratization of technology is not just about individual empowerment; it's about driving creativity, innovation, and productivity that was previously unimaginable," said Anton Oskia, CEO and Co-Founder of Lovable. "We're thrilled to support Cognizant's inaugural Vibe Coding Week. Together, we're enabling a new generation of creators and problem-solvers to build anything and along the way, shape a better future."

Cognizant's vibe coding event aims to engage thousands of employees by featuring hands-on workshops, a prompt engineering toolkit, best-practice sessions, an innovation competition, and recognition for outstanding projects. Following the week's end, participants can join the Cognizant Global Vibe Coding Community to continue sharing ideas and advancing solutions within the company and for clients.

"At Windsurf, we've seen firsthand how agentic AI can expand who gets to build software, from developers to designers, analysts, and operators," said Jeff Wang, CEO of Windsurf. "We're proud to partner with Cognizant on Vibe Coding Week and bring that vision to life at a massive scale. This isn't just about AI literacy, it's about unleashing a new kind of creativity across entire teams and diverse backgrounds."

In recent years, Cognizant has committed to advancing AI-powered ingenuity across its talent base. In 2023, the company launched Bluebolt, a grassroots innovation initiative that encourages ideation from all employees. To date, employees have shared more than a half million (528,505) ideas through the Bluebolt innovation platform. Of the ideas shared, more than 80,000 have already been implemented with clients. Additionally, to create a talent pool with the right skills to harness the innovation potential of AI, Cognizant introduced a global training initiative called Synapse, which aims to upskill one million people by 2026.

To learn more about how Cognizant is investing in initiatives that support the next generation of skilled talent, visit the webpage here.

About Cognizant

Cognizant (Nasdaq-100: CTSH) engineers modern businesses. We help our clients modernize technology, reimagine processes and transform experiences so they can stay ahead in our fast-changing world. Together, we're improving everyday life.

Adani Leads ₹29,000 Cr Investment Wave in Andhra; 42,000 Jobs Coming

Andhra Pradesh government has approved ₹28,546 crore worth of industrial projects in its 7th State-Level Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) meeting. Major highlights include:

• Adani Renewable Energy Fifty One: ₹8,010 crore investment in Kadapa.
• Adani Hydro Energy One & Four: ₹10,900 crore across multiple districts.
• Adani Group projects to generate around 10,500 jobs.

Other key investments:

• Cognizant: ₹1,583 crore IT campus in Visakhapatnam, creating 8,000 jobs.
• Reliance Consumer Products: ₹1,622 crore in Orvakal.
• Raymond: ₹1,201 crore across various locations.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu emphasized the state's focus on balanced regional development, local job creation, and skill enhancement. MSME parks are being planned in every Assembly constituency under the "One Family – One Entrepreneur" initiative.

Andhra Pradesh has seen a remarkable surge in industrial investments over the past few years, positioning itself as a rising hub for clean energy, IT, and manufacturing.

In November 2024, Reliance Industries announced a massive investment of ₹65,000 crore (approximately US$ 7.5 billion) to set up 500 compressed biogas (CBG) plants in Andhra Pradesh over the next five years.

In January 2025, the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) approved ₹44,776 crore worth of projects, with ₹42,932 crore focused on clean energy—mostly solar. Major players included Navayuga Engineering (₹14,328 crore), Megha Engineering (₹10,300 crore), Tata Power Renewable, Ayana Renewable, and Ampin Energy.

Since July 2024, SIPB has cleared projects worth ₹3.1 trillion, with a job creation potential of over 3.12 lakh.

Last month, SAEL Solar MHP1 Pvt. Limited, a subsidiary of SAEL Industries Ltd., a clean energy company, secured a debt finance amounting to of $132 million from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), New Development Bank (NDB), and Societe Generale for development of a solar power project in Andhra Pradesh.

Notably, 19 new projects worth over Rs 33,720 crore and a total of 76 projects have been cleared since the current administration took charge, the state is not only expanding its renewable capacity but also setting an economic momentum that could generate hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Besides, Andhra Pradesh is set to host India’s largest quantum computer at the upcoming Quantum Valley Tech Park in Amaravati.

Cognizant Accuses Infosys of Trade Secret Theft Related to Its Healthcare Software

Cognizant has accused Infosys of stealing trade secrets related to its healthcare software, TriZetto. The legal battle between the two IT giants has intensified, with Cognizant claiming that Infosys was "caught red-handed" misappropriating confidential information. Infosys has denied these allegations, stating that the information in question was publicly available.

The lawsuit between Cognizant and Infosys has been filed in a federal court in Dallas, Texas. The legal battle has intensified with both companies accusing each other of various wrongdoings related to trade secrets and anti-competitive practices.

The legal dispute between Cognizant and Infosys began in August 2024 when Cognizant accused Infosys of stealing trade secrets related to its healthcare software, TriZetto. Cognizant claimed that Infosys misappropriated confidential information that it had originally accessed through non-disclosure agreements (NDAAs).

Infosys denied these allegations, stating that the information was publicly available and countersued Cognizant, accusing its CEO, Ravi Kumar S, of delaying the rollout of Infosys's own healthcare software product when he was a president at Infosys.

The dispute intensified when Cognizant alleged that Infosys refused to allow an audit of its use of TriZetto information, which could have revealed crucial evidence. Cognizant has requested the court to compel Infosys to submit all related documents. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for both companies in the global IT industry.

Cognizant's latest filing on February 7, 2025, follows Infosys's countersuit filed in January 2025. In its January countersuit, Infosys accused Cognizant and its CEO, Ravi Kumar S, of delaying the rollout of Infosys's healthcare software product, Helix, while he was still a president at Infosys. Infosys claimed that Cognizant engaged in anti-competitive practices and misused sensitive information.

Cognizant's February 7 filing reiterated its accusations that Infosys was "caught red-handed" misappropriating trade secrets related to its healthcare software, TriZetto. Cognizant also alleged that Infosys refused to allow an audit of its use of TriZetto information, which could have revealed crucial evidence.

It may be recalled that there have been similar disputes between Cognizant and Infosys in the past. The current legal battle is part of a long-standing rivalry between the two IT giants. The conflict initially began when Infosys accused Cognizant of poaching its senior executives, following the appointment of Infosys’ former president and deputy COO, Ravi Kumar S, as Cognizant’s CEO. Cognizant has also faced similar poaching allegations from another Indian IT giant, Wipro.

Cognizant and IBM Launch Global FinOps CoE To Help Enterprises with Modernization Challenges

Cognizant and IBM have teamed up to launch a Global FinOps Center of Excellence (CoE). This center is designed to help enterprises manage the complexities of modernizing legacy applications and adopting enterprise-scale Al solutions.

The CoE aims to help global clients address challenges such as escalating costs, Al readiness, cloud governance, and architecture modernization . By leveraging the strengths of both Cognizant and IBM, the CoE helps clients operate more efficiently and innovate quickly and responsibly.

The CoE aims to modernize mainframe applications to increase agility and innovation through code modernization. This involves leveraging IBM's watsonx Code Assistant for Z to support the adoption of a hybrid cloud strategy and maximize the value of mainframe investments.

The initiative aims to provide visibility and accountability over cloud costs, optimize usage, and implement real-time production adjustments to eliminate waste in multi-cloud environments. This helps organizations manage cloud expenses more effectively and ensures efficient resource utilization.

The initiative also includes implementing AI governance to ensure AI systems are fair, transparent, and compliant with quality standards.

This collaboration leverages IBM's FinOps software and Cognizant's cloud and developer platforms to help clients transition to modern architectures and streamline cloud management operations.

Alongside the CoE, Cognizant launched extensions of its Cognizant Skygrade™ and Flowsource™ platforms. These extensions are designed to integrate with IBM's Apptio, Turbonomic, watsonx.governance, and watsonx Code Assistant for Z. This integration brings together Cognizant's deep engineering capabilities with IBM's powerful tools to help clients transition to modern architectures and streamline cloud management operations.

For an uninitiated, FinOps (short for Financial Operations) is an operational framework and cultural practice that aims to maximize the business value of cloud computing while enabling financial accountability and data-driven decision-making. FinOps is sometimes referred to as Cloud Financial Management, Cloud Cost Management, or Cloud Optimization. The goal is to get the most value out of cloud investments, driving efficient growth and innovation.

Cognizant to Acquire Belcan for $1.3 Billion in Cash and Stock

Cognizant Technology Solutions has announced its agreement to acquire Belcan, LLC for approximately $1.3 billion in cash and stock. This strategic acquisition is aimed at significantly enhancing Cognizant's engineering capabilities and establishing a leadership position in the aerospace and defense market.

Belcan is a global supplier of Engineering Research & Development (ER&D) services and has been a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners. With this acquisition, Cognizant will expand its ER&D capabilities, building upon its leadership in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Digital Engineering practice areas. The deal is expected to provide Cognizant with access to the rapidly growing, specialized ER&D services market, which is estimated to be worth around $190 billion.

The acquisition is anticipated to deliver over $100 million in annual revenue synergies within three years and to be accretive to Cognizant's EPS by 2026. Belcan's expertise across commercial aerospace, defense, space, marine, and industrial verticals, primarily in North America and the UK, will complement Cognizant's existing services.

Cognizant's CEO, Ravi Kumar S., expressed that the acquisition will not only strengthen the company's position in the ER&D services market but also provide Belcan's blue-chip client roster access to Cognizant's advanced AI, Cloud, and Data technologies.

As a result of this transaction, Cognizant expects to:

• Significantly expand its access to the ~$190 billion ER&D services market, which is expected to grow at an over 10% forward CAGR through 2026, complementing its existing IoT and Digital Engineering practice areas
• Diversify into the fast-growing A&D, space and marine sectors, with a stable set of blue-chip clients
• Add a highly skilled, technical and accredited workforce and an employer of choice in ER&D services
• Create shareholder value through enhanced growth opportunities and expected EPS accretion in 2026; expected to be broadly neutral to EPS in 2025
• Deliver over $100 million in annual revenue synergies within three years, with additional cost synergies expected over time
• Complement the highly talented and strong US/UK based workforce of Belcan with the talent pool from Cognizant's global delivery network to support global programs in the Belcan client base

Lance Kwasniewski, the CEO of Belcan, is expected to continue to lead Belcan, which will continue to operate under the Belcan name as an operating unit of Cognizant. Cognizant will also establish a dedicated integration program office to drive execution against strategic and financial goals for the transaction.

"We are excited about this unique combination and the value creation it will bring to our customers, along with the opportunities it will provide for our employees. Cognizant will better position our team to capitalize on compelling tailwinds, including increasing outsourced ER&D spend, the transformative impact of digital engineering adoption rates, robust commercial aerospace demand, and favorable long-term defense and space spending," said Mr. Kwasniewski. "Belcan's experienced team has built a growth-oriented business delivering highly complex, mission-critical, scalable services to our long-standing customer base. I look forward to continuing to lead our team as we unite and leverage Belcan's and Cognizant's comprehensive services and cross-industry clientele to execute on our collective. "

Cognizant and FICO to Provide Real-Time Payment Fraud Prevention Solution to Banks

Cognizant and FICO have joined forces to address the challenge of real-time payments fraud. Their planned collaboration aims to provide a cloud-based real-time payment fraud prevention solution powered by FICO Falcon Fraud Manager.

The joint offering leverages both firms' artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology to help banks and other payment service providers in North America protect their customers from fraud in the growing world of instant digital payments.

While real-time payments have brought speed and convenience, they have also opened the door for scammers. The Cognizant and FICO solution aims to provide real-time fraud prevention by seamlessly integrating with the real-time payments rails. It is expected to enable the detection and blocking of fraudulent transactions with greater accuracy, minimizing losses and ensuring a secure consumer experience.

The collaboration combines the Cognizant communication layer and clearing gateway with FICO Falcon Fraud Manager, which is a leading payments fraud management solution.

The solution targets multiple payment clearings, including FedNow, RTP, and SEPA Instant Credit Transfer.

Banks of all sizes can implement this proposed cloud-based solution on a pay-per-use or licensing basis, eliminating upfront costs. Additionally, the solution handles complex compliance requirements and integration tasks, allowing businesses to focus on their core operations.

Nageswar Cherukupalli, Senior Vice President & Business Unit Head of Banking & Capital Markets and Strategic Initiatives of Cognizant, emphasizes that the collaboration intends to provide an AI- and ML-based layer of protection against sophisticated threats, enhancing consumer safety and reducing losses.

In summary, this partnership aims to create a safer and more secure future for real-time payments, ensuring that customers are protected in the evolving landscape of digital transactions.

Cognizant Adopts Gemini for Google Cloud, To Train Its 70,000 Associates

Cognizant and Google Cloud have expanded their AI partnership. On March 21, 2024, the companies announced an enhancement of their collaboration to boost software development productivity. Cognizant will adopt "Gemini for Google Cloud" to accelerate the velocity for its software developers and enable over 70,000 associates on Google Cloud's latest AI technologies.

This expansion is part of Cognizant's commitment to invest $1 billion in generative AI over three years, aiming to amplify human potential and drive significant economic impact.

Cognizant will adopt Gemini for Google Cloud in two ways: first, by training Cognizant associates to use Gemini for software development assistance; and second, Cognizant is integrating Gemini's advanced capabilities within its internal operations and platforms. Using Gemini for Google Cloud, Cognizant's developers will be equipped to write, test, and deploy code faster and more effectively with the help of AI-powered tools, improving the reliability and cost efficiency of building and managing client applications.

Last year in May, Cognizant announced establishment of Google Cloud AI Innovation Centers and the Cognizant Google Cloud AI University, which will train 25,000 Cognizant professionals plus clients. With the latest partnership expansion, Google Cloud will support Cognizant in the continued development of AI-led software engineering best practices, and by helping the Cognizant Google Cloud AI University launch advanced courses on AI use cases.

Cognizant's adoption of "Gemini for Google Cloud" is a strategic move to enhance software development productivity. This tool is expected to help Cognizant's software developers accelerate the development process by enabling faster coding, rigorous testing, and swift issue remediation. It's part of a broader initiative to integrate Google Cloud's advanced AI technologies and drive innovation across various industries. The partnership underscores a significant investment in AI and a commitment to leveraging these technologies to amplify human potential and create economic value.

Gemini for Google Cloud is a generative AI-powered collaboration product designed to enhance productivity and creativity for its users. It's part of Google's suite of AI tools and is embedded in many Google Cloud products, including the Google Cloud Console and Cloud Code extensions.

Gemini excels at tasks such as — 1) Conversational AI: Engaging in natural, open-ended conversations, and 2) Text Summarization: Distilling key points from large bodies of text.

Gemini is available in different optimized sizes, such as Ultra, Pro, and Nano, catering to various needs and scales of operation. Developers and enterprise customers can access Gemini Pro via the Gemini API in Google AI Studio or Google Cloud Vertex AI, which allows them to prototype and launch apps quickly.

Cognizant To Acquire Thirdera To Create one of the World's Largest, Most Credentialed ServiceNow Partners

Acquisition is expected to add more than 940 employees to Cognizant's ServiceNow Business Group, creating one of the largest aggregations of ServiceNow professional certifications globally

Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Broomfield, CO-based Thirdera, an Elite ServiceNow Partner specializing in advisory, implementation and optimization solutions related to the ServiceNow platform, with a strong focus on emerging enterprise workflow products. As part of the acquisition, Thirdera's ServiceNow training platform, Thirdera University – one of the world's largest – is expected to play a central role in credentialing resources to fulfill growing demand in the ServiceNow ecosystem.

The addition of Thirdera, which brings an on-and-near-shore global presence for the Cognizant ServiceNow Business Group, is expected to further efforts on the path of Cognizant and ServiceNow's strategic partnership to build a $1 billion combined business focused on AI-driven automation.

Thirdera is the largest independent global pure-play ServiceNow consultancy and has been recognized as the 2023 Worldwide Creator Workflow Partner of the Year and 2023 ServiceNow Americas IT Workflow Partner of the Year, among other accolades.

The combined strengths of Thirdera and the Cognizant ServiceNow Business Group are expected to offer clients one of the most comprehensive experiences in the ServiceNow ecosystem, with robust capabilities in professional services across key ServiceNow workflows and emerging products, including generative AI.

"ServiceNow is leading a market shift toward customer, employee, and creator products," said Ravi Kumar S, Cognizant's CEO. "I believe the combination of Cognizant's deep industry, AI, and platform expertise paired with Thirdera's leading-edge offerings in enterprise transformation will position Cognizant at the forefront of thought leadership and innovation in the ServiceNow ecosystem."

The addition of Thirdera's ServiceNow consultants in North America, Spain, Colombia, the Netherlands, and Australia, among other locations, and Thirdera's leading position in ServiceNow training and certifications, including Certified Master Architects and Certified Technical Architects, will create a combined Cognizant ServiceNow Business Group with more than 2,400 specialists and 14,000 certifications – together creating one of the largest and most highly accredited ServiceNow partners in the world.

"This is a pivotal moment for redefining customer engagement and operational efficiency," said Jason Wojahn, CEO and Co-Founder of Thirdera. "We believe leveraging Cognizant's scale, resources, and cross-industry expertise will help us revolutionize how our clients work in order to unleash productivity and drive innovation. We aim to transform the fabric of our clients' work environments, creating substantial value and offering our employees significant opportunities for professional growth and learning."

"Cognizant's bold move is an example of how our partners are looking to capitalize on the enormous market opportunity with ServiceNow. Their plan to acquire Thirdera, the largest pure-play ServiceNow partner, will turbo-charge their ability to build GenAI industry leading solutions on the ServiceNow platform," said Bill McDermott, chairman and CEO of ServiceNow. "This acquisition puts Cognizant well on their way to building a $1B+ joint business that can accelerate value for our customers."

Cognizant and ServiceNow have expanded their strategic partnership since Cognizant's acquisition of ServiceNow consultancy Linium in 2021, including a June 2023 announcement regarding a strategic partnership to drive AI-driven automation and the path toward building a $1 billion combined business, as well as the launch of an AI-powered service assurance offering for the telecommunications industry.

The acquisition is expected to close in January 2024, subject to satisfaction of closing conditions. Financial details were not disclosed.

Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) engineers modern businesses. We help our clients modernize technology, reimagine processes and transform experiences so they can stay ahead in our fast-changing world. Together, we're improving everyday life. See how at www.cognizant.com or @cognizant.

About Thirdera

Thirdera is an Elite-level ServiceNow partner, enabling customers to leverage the power of the ServiceNow platform through workflow-enabled services and solutions. Founded in 2021, Thirdera has quickly become an industry leader, evident by its recognition as a Major Contender in the Everest Group ServiceNow Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2022 and distinction as the 2022 ServiceNow Global Emerging Industry Solutions Partner of the Year. As the largest global pure-play ServiceNow partner, Thirdera offers high-quality industry expertise and world-class innovation to help businesses accelerate growth and productivity via transformation, digitization, and automation. Visit www.thirdera.com for more information. Thirdera is currently a portfolio company of Sunstone Partners.

Cognizant Inks MoU With Garuda Aerospace to Advance Its Drones With Digital Technologies

Collaboration will bring to market innovative drone-based solutions for enterprises at scale

Cognizant today announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Garuda Aerospace, one of India's leading drone startups, to power its drones with advanced digital capabilities and bring innovative solutions at scale for enterprises aiming to achieve greater agility, productivity, and overall outcomes.

“We are excited to collaborate with Garuda Aerospace, combine our deep industry knowledge with capabilities such as advanced data analytics, real-time insights and software development to elevate drone-based solutions and new use cases for enterprises across sectors,” said Achal Kataria, Vice President and India Country Head, Cognizant. “Drone services are one of the fastest growing technology segments with the potential to provide extraordinary value to industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, energy and utilities, retail and logistics.”

Cognizant and Garuda Aerospace are collectively set to bring a plethora of end-to-end drone-based management and monitoring offerings for businesses across sectors. For the agriculture sector, a new offering provides intelligent water and soil management, crop spraying, aerial planting, among others. For energy and utilities, an aerial intelligence solution helps in asset inspection, storm impact assessment, fire safety, among other operational areas. And, in warehouse management, the drones can be used for inventory audit, tracking of products, video surveillance, and even help move lightweight objects.These drone-based solutions will also enable businesses achieve their sustainability goals by helping drive efficient use of resources.

Agnishwar Jayapraksh 

“This collaboration with Cognizant will further enhance our ‘Made in India’ drones with world-class technolgies and catalyze new, innovative solutions to help clients and their customers around the world,” said Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO, Garuda Aerospace. “We have an innovative business model, an amazing team, and now the right collaboration with Cognizant to reach our desired scale. We hope to propel the entire industry forward with our growth.”

Garuda Aerospace boasts a fleet of 400 drones and a well-trained team of over 500 pilots in 26 cities across the country. Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni represents the company as its Brand Ambassador.

The collaboration will provide Cognizant associates across its service lines, including, analytics, IoT, among others, the opportunity to work on such purpose-driven drone projects and real-life use cases. Additionally, associates keen to be trained as drone pilots will have access to Garuda Aerospace’s training facilities.

Globally, Cognizant’s Drone Analytics Information Services practice has a broad array of partners, offering services from flight operations to image processing and advanced business intelligence. The practice also offers services such as drone data capture, data and managed services, big data management, artificial intelligence, application integration and business consulting. To learn more, click here.

About Cognizant

Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) engineers modern businesses. We help our clients modernize technology, reimagine processes and transform experiences so they can stay ahead in our fast-changing world. Together, we’re improving everyday life. See how at www.cognizant.com or @cognizant.

About Garuda Aerospace

India’s Most Dependable Drone Start-up Garuda Aerospace is a human-centric brand that is focused on developing low-cost drone solutions to optimize industries through accurate data. Started in 2015, The company has already made a significant mark on the drone industry with the Drone-As-A-Software aggregator. This aggregator designs impeccable drones for a myriad of human and industrial needs offering various drone solutions to the industry. Garuda Aerospace has received national and international recognition for its success in the drone sector.

Cognizant Sets Up A 50-Bed ICU Ward at Osmania General Hospital, Jayesh Ranjan Inaugurates the Same

50 bed ICU Award at Osmani Generaal Hospital inaugurated with the support from Cognizant in partnership with Round Table India Trust

Cognizant Partners with Round Table India Trust to revamp the hospital infrastructure and make quality healthcare accessible to the underserved communities

Osmania General Hospitals already has 250 ICU beds and these 50 beds are added additionally: Dr. Nagender, Superintendent of Osmania General Hospital

Hyderabad, July 25, 2021: Cognizant, in partnership with Round Table India Trust, has set up a 50-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward at Osmania General Hospital that was dedicated to the people today by Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce and Information Technology Departments, Telangana.

The ICU ward has been set up at the cost of INR 1.05 crore and is equipped with multipara monitors, suction apparatus double jar, syringe pumps, automated external defibrillators, six and twelve channels' ECG machines and a new elevator for patients. The facility is a significant boost to the medical infrastructure and aims to make the state-of-the-art critical care health services accessible to underserved communities of the city.

The project is part of 'Operation C3' - Cognizant's COVID-19 nationwide rapid response programme to combat the pandemic.

50 bed ICU Ward at Osmani Generaal Hospital inaugurated with the support from Cognizant in partnership with Round Table India Trust at a cost of Rs 1.05 crore

Jayesh Ranjan, Pricncipal Secretary seen inaugurating the 50 bed ICU Award at Osmani Generaal Hospital inaugurated with the support from Cognizant

The new ICU ward will cater to the poor patients. Osmania General Hospital already has 250 ICU beds and these 50 beds are added additionally I formed Dr. Nagender, Superintendent of the Osmania General Hospital

Speaking at the event, Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce and Information Technology Departments, Telangana, said, "Preparedness is the best way to handle any crisis, including the pandemic. No patient should miss out on treatment due to the lack of medical infrastructure. The effort undertaken by Cognizant and Round Table India Trust in setting up this ICU ward at Osmania General Hospital is commendable, and their initiative will enable the government hospital in dealing with any future wave and help mitigate the crisis.”

I am happy that with this facility coming up, even the poor will be able to utilise the most advanced health infrastructure. Jayesh thanked Cognizant for their support and Round Table India Trust for their coordination.

Jayesh also appreciated the services offered by Helping Hands Foundation for guiding, counselling patients and creating awareness about healthy living.

The hospital has been embarking on new initiatives such as Skin Bank, the only one of its kind in the state. Mostly these facilities are seen in the west. I was also present during its inauguration.

Cognizant has operationalized several response initiatives in the state for displaced people, front-line warriors and underserved students and communities to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

“Protecting our people, their families and communities have been a top priority. We have delivered immediate relief across India through the Cognizant Foundation and our longstanding partners to meet the demands of the crisis and help save lives. The new 50-bed ICU ward in Telangana will ensure the most vulnerable receive timely care and attention,” said Sailaja Josyula, Global Delivery Head in Cognizant's Banking & Financial Services Practice.

"Initiatives like these are a step forward in enabling timely treatment to COVID-19 patients and making it safer for health workers to carry on their fight against the virus," This project is implemented under our pan India Medical relief initiative called Project Heal. Round Table India Trust is Greaful to Cognizant for choosing them to be implemention partner. said

Moriya Philip, President, Round Table India and Dilip Kumar Singh, President, Round Table International

During the peak of the second wave, Cognizant Foundation, the CSR arm of IT services major, had dedicated a 40-bedded COVID-19 Care Centre at Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Hyderabad, worth INR 88 lakh earlier in May 2021.

In the first wave, Cognizant had donated more than 25,000 protective gear and 60 medical equipment to five institutions (four government hospitals and one not-for-profit institution) at the cost of INR 1.30 crore, funded 7980 protection kits, 750 digital devices, 18929 grocery kits and 186430 meals worth INR 2 crore, and spent INR 8 lakh for COVID-19 testing equipment for use in the Blue Peter Public Health Research Center, Hyderabad.

IT Major Cognizant hit by 'Maze' Ransomware Attack

IT services major Cognizant said it has become a victim of the 'Maze' ransomware attack that has caused disruptions to some of its clients.

The company, which has about 2 lakh employees based in India, said it is in ongoing communication with clients and has provided them with indicators of compromise (IOCs) and other technical information of a defensive nature.

"Cognizant can confirm that a security incident involving our internal systems, and causing service disruptions for some of our clients, is the result of a Maze ransomware attack," Cognizant said in a statement.

It added that its internal security teams, supplemented by leading cyber defense firms, are actively taking steps to contain this incident.

A ransomware typically logs users out of their own systems through forced encryption of data and asks them to pay a ransom if they want to access the encrypted data.

"Cognizant has also engaged with the appropriate law enforcement authorities," the statement noted.

The incident comes at a time when businesses have been disrupted by coronavirus pandemic that has forced companies to turn to initiatives like work from home to ensure business continuity.

This has also led to concerns around security of data.

"Based on present information, we don't believe the reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic or Cognizant's efforts to enable associates to work from home facilitated this incident," a Cognizant spokesperson said.