Google is apparently planning on exporting its Pixel series of smartphones to the US and Europe from India. It is looking to establish the region as a key export hub with its commercial production set to kick off soon from two of its contract manufacturing partners.

Is India a new manufacturing hub for Google?

According to a MoneyControl report, sources have stated that the production will be carried out through Foxconn and Dixon subsidiary Padget Electronics. Trial production has already begun in Tamil Nadu (South Indian State) with Foxconn, which is a major manufacturer of Apple devices as well. The source close to the matter added that Dixon is set to add Google to its customer list in the second half of the year through its partnership with Compal. It will be sharing production with Foxconn.

The base variant of the Pixel phones will be made by Dixon Technologies, while Foxconn will be responsible for the higher-end Pro variants. Google has yet to make any official announcement, but this could go official sometime in the second half of this year. The report adds that it plans on shipping India made Pixel phones to the European market first. These same units would also address demand in the US later on.

India as an export hub would help diversify its manufacturing and the region offers low labor costs along with local incentives. This news also arrives following the company’s announcement to unveil the Pixel 9 series arriving ahead of its typical Pixel launch cycle. Google’s next gen flagship is set to launch on 13th August 2024, over its original October-November announcement. Real life images of the Pixel 9 also surfaced recently, showcasing the device in a Pink color option. More reports regarding this should surface soon, so stick around for more.

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The export of smartphones and their components from Vietnam have apparently crossed 50 billion US Dollars last year. The news arrives from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, which found that the export declined for the first time in 11 years.

According to a DigiTimes report, the export fell by just 0.4 percent in 2020, reaching 51.18 billion US Dollars in 2020. Notably, the proportion of smartphones and the related components’ proportion within the nation’s total exports also declined last year, down to 18 percent in 2020 from 30 percent just a year prior. For those unaware, Vietnam is also a notable export hub, with its shipments reaching over 50 countries last year.

Furthermore, China is its largest outlet, which takes in nearly 25 percent of its total export shipments. This is followed by the EU with a 19 percent share, which is trailed by other regions like the US, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. Samsung Electronics also accounted for nearly 100 percent of Vietnam’s entire smartphone shipments and exports. The South Korean tech giant has invested heavily in the region and also runs two industrial complexes in the nation at the moment.

With its investment reaching 17 billion US Dollars, the company also employees over 110,000 people and has even plans to invest an additional 220 million US Dollars to build a dedicated research and development center in the region, which is expected to be finished in 2022. This new research and development center will house over 2,200 to 2,300 employees and will focus on developing AI, IoT, and 5G solutions for the company.

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Before new sanctions on Chinese giant Huawei were set to kick-off from 15th September, the company had started stockpiling the necessary components to ensure that the business doesn’t go under.

Thanks to that stockpiling from Huawei, Taiwan has witnessed a rise in exports for the month of September. As per the report, the exports jumped 9.4 percent from a year earlier to $30.71 billion last month.

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This is the second-highest monthly tally on record as far as exports from Taiwanese firms are concerned. The month of August had also witnessed a rise in export — an 8.3 percent increase, helped by Huawei.

For those who are unaware, the Trump administration expanded restriction on Huawei in the month of August and banned suppliers from selling chips made in the U.S. or using U.S. technology to Huawei without a special license. The new sanctions took effect in mid-September and thus, the Chinese giant had started stockpiling components.

It’s noteworthy that Taiwan’s September imports unexpectedly fell by 5.4 percent, against economists’ expectations for a 3 percent increase. As per the report, Taiwan, which has China as its largest trading partner, could see around 2 percent exports this month, i.e. October 2020, said Taiwan’s finance ministry.

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