IBM announced on May 14 the launch of a new delivery model for artificial intelligence in enterprises, introducing Forward Deployed Units (FDUs) as part of IBM Consulting. The company said this approach is designed to address challenges in deploying AI at scale and to move beyond traditional labor-based operating models.
The announcement comes as organizations face difficulties turning AI investments into practical results. IBM said that while experimentation is widespread, rapid deployment remains a challenge due to existing operating models that rely heavily on increasing headcount rather than optimizing workflows with digital tools.
According to IBM, FDUs are structured as small, senior teams supported by specialized digital agents that handle tasks such as coding, evaluation, testing and documentation under human direction. “The composition is the point. It lets a six-person pod do the work of a 30-person team at materially better economics, with methods that sharpen with every engagement. It’s how AI becomes a scaling factor, not just an assistant,” the company said in its statement.
IBM reported that FDUs are already being used by companies including Riyadh Air, Nestlé, Heineken and Pearson to move AI from pilot projects into full-scale production across regions such as Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States. The company emphasized that each FDU team includes business domain specialists, architects and engineers who work alongside client teams: “By working alongside client teams as an extension of the organization, they change how work gets done. And at their core, they combine people, platforms and AI agents into a unified system.”
To support this model, IBM maintains a dedicated technical career track for FDU roles and recruits talent from leading global engineering universities. The FDUs operate using IBM Consulting Advantage—an AI-powered platform providing reusable assets and industry accelerators—to enable faster delivery and repeatability across engagements.
Looking ahead, IBM said it believes execution will define the next chapter of enterprise AI: “The next phase of AI won’t be defined by models alone; it will be defined by the ability to turn them into sustained business value… That is what we are building with FDUs. It’s how we move from experimentation to execution.”
