Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced on Friday that Google will soon commence local production of its flagship Pixel smartphones in the state. The manufacturing facility will be set up near Chennai in collaboration with Foxconn, a leading contract electronics manufacturer.
Addressing the media, Stalin revealed that the state’s Industry Minister TRB Raja had visited Google’s US headquarters along with Foxconn officials to discuss the prospect of establishing a manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu. Following these negotiations, Google and Foxconn have agreed to set up a Pixel smartphone manufacturing plant in the state.
“Officials from Google met with me in Chennai on Thursday,” Stalin said. “This development will create employment opportunities for the youth of Tamil Nadu who have obtained higher education in the field of information technology.”
The chief minister highlighted that Tamil Nadu already hosts manufacturing units for industry giants like Samsung and Apple, and Google’s entry into the state is a testament to its growing attractiveness as a hub for premium smartphone production.
Last year, Google had announced its plans to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India during the ‘Google for India 2023’ event. The tech giant, led by Indian-American CEO Sundar Pichai, aims to capitalize on the surging demand for premium smartphones in the country, which is estimated to be the world’s second-largest smartphone market.
In October 2023, Pichai had stated, “We shared plans at GoogleforIndia 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 – appreciate the support for Make In India.”
Tamil Nadu has set an ambitious target of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2030, and the state government has been actively pursuing investment opportunities to establish the state as an advanced manufacturing hub. According to Stalin, the state has attracted investments worth Rs 9.61 lakh crore through investment conferences held in various countries, resulting in the creation of 30 lakh jobs.
The entry of Google’s Pixel smartphone manufacturing facility is expected to further bolster Tamil Nadu’s position as a leading electronics manufacturing hub in India, which accounted for 30% of the country’s total electronic goods exports in the fiscal year 2023-24.
(Inputs from ANI)
