Sysco LABS hosted the latest edition of its Nexus series recently, bringing together thought leaders in the platform engineering space to explore how AI is transforming the developer experience (DevEx) and accelerating software delivery. Platform engineering focuses on building and maintaining internal developer platforms (IDPs) that streamline workflows, improving developer productivity and enabling faster, more reliable software delivery at scale.
The event featured a keynote segment and a panel discussion, spotlighting key industry experts in AI-driven automation, internal developer platforms (IDPs) and cloud-native strategies shaping modern software development. Speakers included Dilhan Manawadu, Senior Director, Global QE, DevOps and SRE at Sysco, Tishan Dahanayakage, Director and Head of Engineering, Choreo BU at WSO2 and Mahesu Nithokumar, Director of Technology at Virtusa.
The event concluded with a panel discussion on operationalising platform engineering, moderated by Ravindu Fernando, Senior Technical Lead, DevOps, Sysco LABS which featured the keynote speakers as well as Hussain Shabbir, Senior Director, Senior Principal Architect and Global Head of AWS Practice at Virtusa.
Discussions centred around the evolution of platform engineering and the increasing role of AI in enhancing developer workflows.
In his keynote address, Dahanayakage highlighted the importance of creating platforms that streamline processes and integrate essential tools such as CI/CD (Continuous Improvement/Continuous Deployment), SecOps (Security Operations) and observability, highlighting: “building for builders means designing platforms that enable seamless workflows. By prioritising AI-powered DevEx, organizations can unlock new levels of productivity while attracting and retaining top talent.”
Emphasising how AI-driven automation is transforming software delivery lifecycles, Manawadu said: “AI-driven automation is revolutionising the inner loop —enhancing how developers write, test and iterate on code — while simultaneously optimising the outer loop by automating repetitive operational tasks.
Platform engineering teams are central to this evolution, embedding intelligence into DevOps workflows and fundamentally transforming how software is engineered and delivered at scale.”
Beyond automation, discussions at the Nexus explored the critical skills required to succeed in platform engineering, emphasising the importance of architectural knowledge, cloud-native expertise and a deep understanding of modern infrastructure paradigms.
Nithokumar said: “Mastering architectural principles and their integration into cloud frameworks is crucial for anyone looking to advance in this field. The ability to design scalable, secure and resilient systems is what sets top engineers apart.” Building on this, Shabbir added: “Cross-industry collaboration is accelerating this transformation, driving innovation in how software is built and delivered”.
