iPhone-maker Foxconn vying for 300-acre land parcel in Uttar Pradesh for its first facility in north India: Report

Apple’s biggest vendor and Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn is vying for a 300-acre land parcel off the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh for its first facility in north India, The Economic Times reported on Monday, citing people privy to the discussions.

“This facility has the potential to be slightly better than its upcoming facility in Bengaluru, which is set to become the company’s second largest globally,” said one of the persons quoted in the report, adding that the products slated for manufacturing from this facility are yet to be ascertained and discussions with the government are ongoing.

In 2023, Foxconn's India subsidiary has acquired a 300-acre land parcel on the outskirts of India's tech capital Bengaluru, in Devanahalli—near the airport—weeks after the Karnataka government approved an ₹8,000 crore proposal by Foxconn to set up a mobile phone manufacturing unit near Bengaluru.

The report cited a second person who confirmed that the land parcel that Foxconn identified is in the vicinity of the 50-acre land acquired by the HCL-Foxconn joint venture for an outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facility, which is awaiting approval. HCL Technologies has partnered with Foxconn and Intel Foundry to develop semiconductor chips and other semiconductor-related products.

“The Indian government proposed 300 acres for a Foxconn Industrial Park project last year. Discussions are at an early stage and there are no plans regarding any specific products or customers yet,” said the second person.

Unlike others, Apple does its manufacturing in two to three countries. The iPhone is made only in China and India. There are some operations in Vietnam relating to iMac and iPad, but the scale and growth opportunities of manufacturing in India is second only to China.

This development comes at a time when uncertainty looms large, fuelled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s all-out tariff impositions to allies and adversaries alike. This has led companies like Foxconn to diversify geographically and have alternative manufacturing bases, a welcoming development for India as it entails big-ticket investments.

Foxconn—along with two other Apple vendors Wistron and Pegatron—have been part of the government’s Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme announced by the government in 2020. Wistron was bought out by Tata Electronics in FY24. Foxconn has a presence in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, and according to the report, the contract manufacturer will wind down its operations in Sri City in Andhra Pradesh.

The company said in 2023 that it plans to double employment, foreign direct investment (FDI), and business size in India by 2024, according to the company's India representative V Lee.

The Yamuna Expressway—managed by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA)—connects Noida and Greater Noida with Agra and will serve as a major thoroughfare connecting the upcoming Noida International Airport in Jewar to NCR.