AI Skills Drive Salary Growth in India as Employers Pay Premium for Talent

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as the fastest-growing salary segment in India as companies increasingly offer higher pay for specialised skills that are in short supply, according to the latest foundit Insights Tracker.
AI professionals recorded a 12% year-on-year increase in salaries, the highest among the categories tracked. Cybersecurity and semiconductors followed with 9% growth each.

Over the past two years, AI salaries have risen by a compounded 23%, while pay in areas such as computer hardware and e-commerce has declined and salaries in IT services have remained largely unchanged.
The salary advantage for AI professionals begins early in their careers. Those with up to three years of experience earn around ₹8.87 lakh to ₹15.41 lakh annually, while professionals with more than 15 years of experience can earn between ₹70.99 lakh and ₹89.24 lakh per year.
Cybersecurity has an even higher top-end salary, reaching nearly ₹97.81 lakh annually.
By comparison, entry-level professionals in IT and IT services earn around ₹2.68 lakh to ₹5.08 lakh per year, with senior salaries reaching ₹57.55 lakh to ₹72.13 lakh.
Within the technology sector, salary growth was strongest in AI, followed by computer and network security at 9% and data mining at 7%. Computer software and networking saw only 1% growth, while salaries in IT, internet, e-commerce and computer hardware declined.

Geography also plays a major role. Bengaluru remains India’s highest-paying market for AI talent, with senior professionals earning between ₹61.70 lakh and ₹91.25 lakh annually. Hyderabad is also emerging as a major centre due to growing investments in global capability centres and product engineering.
AI salaries in Tier-II cities such as Coimbatore, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Indore are around 28-31% lower than metro-level salaries, with the gap becoming wider for experienced professionals.
Outside technology, semiconductor and industrial automation roles are also seeing strong salary growth. Semiconductor pay has increased by 17% over two years, while industrial automation salaries have risen by 13%.
The trend indicates that employers are increasingly rewarding specialised and business-critical skills rather than experience alone, making continuous skill development a key factor in future salary growth.