Foxconn likely to produce AirPods for Apple in the next few weeks

Foxconn’s facility at Kongara Kalan near Hyderabad is likely to start production of AirPods for the US phone maker Apple beginning later this month or early next month, a source in the industry told businessline.

The contract manufacturer has invested over $500 million to build the AirPod production facility in Hyderabad. Apple’s push to manufacture AirPods in India is seen as part of the China Plus One strategy, de-risking sourcing of the products from China.

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Foxconn representatives met with Telangana’s Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy a year ago to discuss potential investments in a range of manufacturing facilities, including display fabs, semiconductor OSAT and fabs, EV manufacturing, and notebook production. 

Display fab project

Discussions are ongoing regarding incentives and land acquisition for the display fab project. Foxconn is evaluating partners like HCL for the OSAT facility and exploring collaborations with Indian firms like MEIL and JSW for EV manufacturing. The state government has pledged support in facilitating approvals and providing incentives to attract these investments. 

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During the BRS rule, the company increased its investments in Telangana to $550 million, adding $400 million to the previously committed $150 million. The additional $400 million investment was to build capacities to manufacture AirPods and other digital peripherals at the company’s Kongarkalan facility. This project was expected to create 25,000 jobs.