Google on Thursday announced that it will manufacture Pixel smartphones in India, including its latest offering of Pixel 8.
The announcement was made at the ninth edition of the Google for India event in New Delhi. The first India-made Pixel devices will come to market in 2024.
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“It is an early step towards expanding our production here to meet the local demand for pixel devices. And even more importantly, it is a huge step forward in Google’s commitment to Make-in- India,” Rick Osterloh, head of devices at Google, said.
It is to be noted that Google recently collaborated with HP to start manufacturing affordable HP Chromebooks in India. They are powered by Google’s ChromeOS operating system which will be cheaper than Windows and macOS-running laptops.
Latest data says Google manufactured about 9 million units of Pixel phones last year based out of facilities in China and Vietnam.
Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was also present at the event, highlighted the remarkable progress in electronic manufacturing within India over the past decade. India’s mobile phone manufacturing sector has surged to a substantial USD 44 billion, he said, emphasizing the significance of Google’s decision to manufacture Pixel devices in the country.
He also said that the manufacturing of the first semiconductor plant in India has also begun, merely a year after the policy came out.