Apple supplier Foxconn is beginning production of the iPhone 15 in India as the company moves forward with its effort to diversify its manufacturing from China, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.
Foxconn’s Sriperumbudur plant is getting ready to deliver the new phones weeks after they begin shipping from China-based factories, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed sources.
Apple has been aiming to diversify its supply chain as the dynamic between the U.S. and China continues to grow tense. After a meeting India Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC India represents a “huge opportunity.”
Amid bipartisan skepticism of China’s government from the U.S., the Biden administration has taken multiple actions to restrict the flow of key technologies and U.S. investment into China. China has also placed restrictions on the sale of some U.S. semiconductors, for example.
Apple has more recently ramped up iPhone production in India, assembling more than $7 billion worth there in the last fiscal year, Bloomberg earlier reported. The outlet said in April that Apple produces nearly 7% of its iPhones in India, citing sources. Prior to that, iPhone assembly in India lagged China by six to nine months, Bloomberg reported, but that gap has significantly closed.
Apple typically announces its new lineup of iPhones at its annual event in September. This year’s update is expected to include major camera updates and an improved processor in the Pro models, according to Bloomberg.
Pegatron and a Wistron factory being acquired by the Tata Group will also soon begin assembling the iPhone 15 in India, according to the report:
The companies named in this article did not immediately respond to requests for comment.