According to two directly informed sources, Google under Alphabet is planning to produce Pixel smartphones in Tamil Nadu, southern India, and has reached a cooperation agreement with Foxconn from Taiwan.
One of the sources, who declined to be named, told Reuters that Google “will be producing the latest smartphones at the existing Foxconn factory in the state.”
Foxconn is currently assembling iPhones for Apple at a factory near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
The sources pointed out that “Google’s investment in Tamil Nadu is different from the earlier reported collaboration between Indian local manufacturer Dixon Technologies and Google for smartphone production in India.” They added that this latest decision was made following a recent meeting between state officials and Google executives.
The news website Moneycontrol was the first to report Google’s plan.
As geopolitical relations between Beijing and Washington become increasingly tense, global major manufacturers are seeking to diversify their supply chains outside of China, considering India as an option.