Gartner Identifies the Top Strategic Trends in Software Engineering for 2025 and Beyond

Gartner published a report pointing out key strategic trends that will shape software engineering in 2025 and after. Some of the highlighted trends include: “AI-native” software engineering, where AI tools are built into every phase of the software lifecycle. The growth of systems that use large language models (LLMs) and agents to assist developers. Platform engineering for GenAI (generative AI) to make AI-capabilities available to development teams via self-service portals. The increased importance of “talent density” (having highly skilled engineers) as teams evolve. For you, as someone aiming to be a good systems engineer, this is relevant because it shows how the role is shifting: instead of just writing code or designing systems, engineers will increasingly orchestrate and oversee AI-enabled components, integrate platforms and manage complex toolchains. It suggests the future of systems/ software engineering will require both technical depth and broader skills like tool-integration, governance, and collaboration.

Sourced from Gartner