Google’s drones will probably be ‘Made in India’

With a greater emphasis on India, Google’s parent company Alphabet is in discussions with Foxconn to produce Pixel phones and drones at a plant in Tamil Nadu.

Drones are being examined for production in India for the first time, while Dixon Technologies has also been awarded the contract to manufacture smartphones. Wing, an Alphabet company, wants to produce larger drones to deliver larger payloads.

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Investment details as well as anticipated volume ranges are unknown. Google did not reply to questions from TOI, and representatives of the Tamil Nadu government declined to comment.

Following talks with the state government, Sriperumbudur, a powerhouse for electronics manufacturing close to Chennai, is anticipated to start producing the newest Pixel smartphones as well as drones. “It goes beyond simply drones and Pixel phones. According to a person with knowledge of the development, Google has several more items to produce, and its decision to choose Tamil Nadu as its location shows the value that this state can provide worldwide.

Google declared in October of last year that it would start producing the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones in India and that it was in talks with local and foreign manufacturers. Industry estimates indicate that Foxconn and Pegatron, two contract manufacturers, are currently assembling over 80% of the $14 billion worth of Apple iPhones produced in the country from Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu leads the nation in mobile phone production, in addition to Tata’s electronics operations and component ecosystem.

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The Google development occurred just after Foxconn executives and a delegation from the state, led by Industries Minister T R B Rajaa, visited the US and spoke with senior Google officials in Mountain View, California. 

According to sources, a group of Google executives and representatives are expected to meet with Chief Minister M K Stalin to finalize the manufacturing arrangement. The business, through Foxconn, has expressed interest in putting up the facility near Chennai.

At the moment, Pixel has a very small market share in India for smartphones. According to Counterpoint research data, Samsung continues to be the leading player with a 25% share in the Jan-March quarter, followed by Apple (19%) and Vivo (18%). In 2023, Pixel’s global market share was less than 5%. The tech behemoth is staking its claim to market share on the renewed enthusiasm surrounding genAI applications for in-devices.

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Note: TechChilli could not verify this news, it is made only based on the TOI news.