99x launches AI Hub as AI reshapes technology and engineering roles

From left: 99x Product Engineering Chief Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer Chrishan de Mel, 99x Norway Group CEO Odd-Sverre Østlie, 99x Product Engineering Chief Operating Officer Shehani Seneviratne and Chief Developer Experience Officer Kalana Wijesekara

• Company says Sri Lanka remains well positioned in IT services as it moves towards AI-led delivery

 By Amira Cader

Global product engineering company 99x has launched its new AI Hub, aimed at giving teams greater visibility into how artificial intelligence is being used across workflows and helping measure its impact on productivity, quality, costs and customer value.

The launch comes as 99x continues its shift towards an AI-led way of working, with the transformation focusing not only on introducing new technology but also on changing processes and developing people with the skills needed to work alongside AI.

Speaking at the launch in Colombo yesterday, 99x Chief Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer Chrishan de Mel highlighted the growing focus on AI and recent recognition received for its initiatives.

99x’s Agent Control Plane – Xians.ai was recognised as the ‘Best Agentic AI Solution’ at the National AI Awards 2026 and also received recognition at the SLASSCOM National Ingenuity Awards recently.

De Mel said the recognition reflected 99x’s work in building its AI capabilities and integrating them into its operations.

The AI transformation is built around three key pillars – tools and platforms, process and people.

99x Chief Developer Experience Officer Kalana Wijesekara said 99x had moved beyond simply adopting AI tools and was now looking at how their use could be measured and improved.

“AI Hub gives teams the visibility to understand what is happening within their AI-assisted workflows, measure what matters to them and make informed decisions about how those workflows should evolve,” he said.

The first pillar is the development and adoption of AI tools and platforms, several of which are already being used by 99x teams and increasingly embraced by customers.

The second is process, with 99x moving from traditional Agile practices towards a more AI-led delivery process. Around 90% of its teams have already adapted to the new approach, while the process continues to evolve with changing customer requirements and developments in the technology landscape.

The third pillar is people, with 99x placing greater emphasis on developing employees to work with new AI tools, platforms and processes.

Over the past two years, 99x has conducted 23 training programs, with 100% of employees trained, accounting for more than 6,500 training hours.

99x has also established a North Star objective around four areas – higher pace, better quality, extended value and a team that thrives.

Higher pace focuses on improving speed and productivity, while better quality aims to strengthen delivery through AI-enabled processes and tools. Extended value focuses on creating greater value for customers, while a team that thrives reflects the importance of employee development and growth.

99x Product Engineering Chief Operating Officer Shehani Seneviratne said the transformation was also changing the skills and competencies expected from engineers.

A few years ago, engineers were largely involved in developing software, testing it and deploying it at customer sites. Today, AI and automation are increasingly taking over repetitive tasks.

This means engineers need to move towards higher-value responsibilities, including problem-solving, customer engagement and understanding business requirements.

“The transformation is absolutely essential for each and every engineer, because you need to transform to this new way of working. You cannot work in the old way of working in the new era,” Seneviratne said.

She also pointed to the emergence of new roles, including the Forward Deployed Engineer, where engineers work closely with customers to understand real-world challenges and apply technology to develop solutions.

The change also means software developers are increasingly expected to communicate with customers and translate their requirements into software solutions.

99x Group CEO Odd-Sverre Ostlie said Sri Lanka remained strongly positioned in the global IT services industry, particularly in terms of engineering talent.

“I think from an IT services point of view, Sri Lanka is really up there,” he said, adding that some of 99x’s best developers were based in Sri Lanka.

He said Sri Lankan talent was competitive with engineering graduates from Europe, the Nordic region and the US, while also pointing to opportunities for the country to accelerate digitalisation across the public and private sectors.

For 99x, developing this talent pipeline remains important.

99x works with universities across the country, including the Universities of Peradeniya, Moratuwa, Colombo and Jaffna, as well as Uva Wellassa and several private universities.

Rather than focusing on one institution, 99x has graduates from universities across Sri Lanka and seeks to engage with students through industry sessions, mentoring, research projects, AI awareness programs, hackathons and practical learning.

The AI Hub is currently being used within 99x and is not planned to be offered as a standalone product to the wider market at this stage.

Customers can, however, use the platform to measure areas relevant to their AI-assisted workflows, including productivity, energy consumption and computing resources.

Ostlie said measuring such areas could help teams better understand their use of AI and identify opportunities to improve efficiency.

99x also acknowledged that automation could reduce the need for certain repetitive roles, while stressing that the larger shift was towards enabling employees to work more productively and focus on higher-value tasks.

The AI Hub forms part of 99x’s broader AI Development Lifecycle approach, which integrates AI across different stages of product engineering.

On future expansion, 99x said its focus would remain on Sri Lanka, the Nordic region and the US.

Sweden is also emerging as an important market following 99x’s acquisition of a technology company based in Gothenburg, which is being used as a hub for its expansion efforts.

Ostlie said there could be opportunities to enter additional markets over time, depending on customer demand and business opportunities.

With AI continuing to change how software is developed and delivered, 99x believes the ability of both businesses and technology professionals to adapt will be critical.

For Sri Lanka, the shift presents both challenges and opportunities as the country seeks to strengthen its position as a global technology and IT services destination. The emphasis on AI skills, industry-university collaboration and new engineering roles is also likely to shape the next phase of the country’s technology workforce.