Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said on Friday that Google Pixel smartphones will soon be manufactured locally in the state at a facility near Chennai.
Manufacturing units of Samsung and Apple smartphones are already present in the state, and now Sundar Pichai-led Alphabet Inc. has jumped into the fray to capitalise on the rising demand for premium smartphones among consumers in the country, which is estimated to be the world’s second-largest smartphone market.
State Industry Minister TRB Raja had visited the US headquarters of Google along with Foxconn company officials and held discussions about starting a business in Tamil Nadu, Stalin said.
As a result of these negotiations, Google officials have offered to set up a Google Pixel cell phone manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu along with Foxconn, the chief minister said today.
Officials from Google met with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister in Chennai on Thursday, the Chief Minister said. The CM said that this development will lead to employment opportunities for the youth of Tamil Nadu who have obtained higher education in the field of information technology.
Last year, Google partnered with personal computer (PC) maker HP to manufacture Chromebooks at a Flex facility in Chennai.
Make in India
Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, announced at the ‘Google for India 2023’ last year that it will manufacture its Pixel smartphones in India.
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The devices, starting with the Pixel 8, are expected to begin rolling out in markets in 2024, Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of devices and services at Google, said at the event.
Sundar Pichai stated in October 2023, “We shared plans at Google for India to manufacture Pixel smartphones locally and expect the first device to roll out in 2024. We’re committed to being a trusted partner in India’s digital growth.
We appreciate the support for Make in India.” Tamil Nadu aims to establish itself as an advanced manufacturing hub. Chief Minister Stalin said that his government has set the target of making the state into a USD 1 trillion economy by 2030.
Employment Opportunities
The state has attracted investments to the tune of Rs 9.61 lakh crore by attending investment conferences held in Tamil Nadu, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Arab countries, and France. As a result, 30 lakh youths have been given employment in Tamil Nadu.
India’s smartphone market shipped 34 million smartphone units in the first quarter of 2024. It also registered 11.5 per cent growth YoY (year-over-year), making it the third consecutive quarter of growth in shipments, as per the Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker by International Data Corporation.
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Tamil Nadu, India’s largest exporter of electronic goods in FY23, accounted for 30% of all electronic goods exports from India in FY24.
