Foxconn is reported to have approved an investment of $400 million for manufacturing Airpods at the Hyderabad plant.
American multinational tech giant Apple will start manufacturing AirPods at Foxconn’s facility in the Southern Indian city of Hyderabad, according to a report by news agency PTI. AirPods, wireless earbuds made by Apple, will be the second after iPhones among the range of products offered by the company, underscoring the tech company’s shift from manufacturing in China.
The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, also the major supplier of Apple products, Foxconn has approved an investment of $400 million for manufacturing AirPods in the Hyderabad plant. Mass AirPods production at this facility is expected to begin by December 2024.
There has been no official confirmation either from Apple or Foxconn about the same. However, the move can seen as a part of Apple’s broader strategy to diversify its supply chain and reduce dependence on China due to trade tensions between the United States and China, as well as the goal of tapping into the Indian market.
Foxconn, on the other hand, has been rapidly expanding its foot in India and has recently announced investments in major southern Indian states. Earlier this month, Foxconn announced that it has signed a letter of intent with the Karnataka government to invest $600 million in two projects in the state; one to set up a facility for iPhone components and the other for chip equipment manufacturing.
Apart from Karnataka, Foxconn has recently signed a deal with the government of Tamil Nadu to invest $194 million for a new electronic component manufacturing facility in the state and investment will create 6,000 jobs in the state. In May, the IT Minister of another southern Indian state Telangana said that Foxconn will invest $500 million that will create 25,000 direct jobs in its first phase.
Apart from the South Indian states, Foxconn is also in talks with the Gujarat government over a semiconductor plant. It is noteworthy that news came days after the Taiwanese tech major pulled out from a joint venture with India’s metals-to-oil conglomerate Vedanta to set up semiconductor and display production plants in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The investment was valued at $19.5 billion.
Despite Foxconn’s withdrawal, Vedanta later announced to enter the semiconductor space with the backing of other partners. Foxconn, on the other hand, stated that it remains committed to investing in India and intends to apply to access incentives under the country’s semiconductor manufacturing policy.
