Delhivery reported tepid growth and steady improvement in profitability. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.

Also in the letter:
■ India’s real AI talent crunch
■ FTC rests Meta case

Delhivery Q4 results: Growth remains modest, but profitability continues to build

Sahil Barua, CEO, Delhivery

New-age logistics firm Delhivery posted muted growth in the March quarter but continued to build on its profitability.

Financials at a glance:

Quote, unquote: “We continue to deliver steady performance in our core transportation businesses. Our ongoing measures to improve profitability are visible in Q4 numbers, and we expect continued momentum on this front as growth picks up in FY26,” said Sahil Barua, CEO, Delhivery.

Expansion details: Ajith Pai, COO of Delhivery, said that its rapid commerce operations are currently active in three cities with 18 dark stores, some of which are already handling 350–400 orders daily. He said that the company plans to scale up to 50 dark stores this fiscal, with each expected to break even within 4–5 months.

Catch up, quick: In April, Delhivery acquired rival Ecom Express for Rs 1,407 crore. The company now estimates integration costs to be around Rs 300 crore.

Also Read: Delhivery appoints cofounder Suraj Saharan to board

Big breather for Indian cloud, data companies as US scraps Biden-era AI chip curbs

The US has scrapped a proposed Biden-era rule on AI chip exports set to take effect on 15 May. The move comes as a relief to Indian cloud service providers and data centres, which had been concerned about restricted access to high-end chips.

The context: The now-abandoned AI Diffusion Framework would have capped India’s annual imports of advanced GPUs such as Nvidia’s B200 at 50,000 units. Due to the rule's strict performance-based thresholds, India could have received as few as 20,000 units.

Yes, but: While the rule has been withdrawn, the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has introduced fresh measures to tighten AI chip export controls:

Why this move? The Trump administration says it wants to adopt a more "bold and inclusive" strategy to spreading American AI technology globally, working closely with trusted allies while keeping strategic rivals at bay.

Also Read: China criticises new US rule banning use of Huawei's Ascend advanced computer chips

India has just one GenAI engineer for 10 open roles: Report

Despite a surge in hiring for artificial intelligence (AI) roles, India is grappling with a severe talent crunch.

Data decoded: India’s AI workforce currently stands at 4,16,000, meeting just 49% of the demand, according to staffing firm Quess. The shortage is most acute in specialised roles such as generative AI, natural language processing (NLP), and computer vision, particularly at the senior level.

Yes, and: Global capability centres (GCCs) are driving much of the demand. The report indicates that GCCs, system integrators, and product firms account for over 70% of AI and data-related hiring in the country.

Pay no bar: To attract talent, companies are offering a premium. Salaries for generative AI roles are 15-20% higher than traditional AI/ML positions, even at comparable experience levels.

Also Read: Jobs AI won’t replace: Anthropic cofounder Jack Clark names safest roles

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Does Meta have a social media monopoly? Here's what the US has argued

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Meta

The US government has rested its case against Meta Technologies, aiming to prove that the Facebook parent acquired Instagram and WhatsApp to neutralise them as competitors.

The case, brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), could force Meta to divest the two platforms.

FTC’s main arguments: