NEW DELHI: US tech giant Google is looking for suppliers in India to assemble its Pixel smartphones.
As per the reports, Alphabet Inc’s Google is in early talks with companies including Lava International and Dixon Technologies India as well as Foxconn Technology Group’s India Unit Bharat FIH to manufacture its flagship device in India. Google is following in Apple’s footsteps that have diversified its iPhone manufacturing from China to India. The company has widened its supply base in India and tripled iPhone output to over $ 7 billion in the fiscal year through March 2023.
The country has been pitching for an alternative manufacturing hub, as more companies are becoming wary of the risks of depending on China after its harsh Covid lockdowns and trade war between Washington and Beijing. Pixel is the flagship device of Google. As per Counterpoint Research, Google built nearly 9 million Pixel smartphones last year. The Local assembly could help Pixel sales as India is a key growth market for Google’s services, and if the effort is successful, Google could move production of other hardware such as speakers to India, the report said.