News Brief
Google headquarters (Representative Image)
US tech major Google is likely to start manufacturing its Pixel smartphones at Foxconn’s unit in Tamil Nadu.
Google officials are expected to visit Chennai soon to meet with government officials regarding this initiative, The Hindu Businessline reported citing sources.
The American tech giant plans to invest “billions of dollars” in Tamil Nadu to establish smartphone production, according to a Bloomberg report.
The state already hosts manufacturing facilities for Apple and Samsung smartphones. Foxconn and Pegatron are major manufacturers in the region, with Tatas also starting production in Hosur.
The potential manufacturing of Google Pixel smartphones could attract significant investment and create numerous jobs, particularly for youths.
Pixel phones, which debuted in 2016, have been manufactured in various parts of Asia, starting in China and moving to Vietnam in 2019.
Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Platforms & Devices at Google, hinted at this development in October last year, stating, “Taking the next big step on our Pixel journey in India.”
“Today we see an even greater opportunity to make Pixel smartphones available to more people in India, and are very excited to announce our plan to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India. We intend to start with the Pixel 8, and will partner with international and domestic manufacturers to produce Pixel smartphones locally. We expect these devices to start to roll out in 2024, joining India’s Make in India initiative,” Osterloh added.
He also emphasized, “India is a priority market for Pixel smartphones, and we’re committed to bringing the best of our hardware and underlying built-in software capabilities to people across the country. In recent years, India has established itself as a truly world-class hub for manufacturing, resulting in a thriving environment for businesses to flourish.”
Since the launch, Google Pixel unit shipments have increased rapidly. As of 2023, Google had shipped just under 38 million Pixel phones, according to Statista.