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Apple announces Indian technology development operation
Apple announces it will open a development centre in one of India's fastest growing technology hubs, in the city of Hyderabad
Apple will open a technology development centre in the Indian city of Hyderabad.
The centre, which will be in Tishman Speyer's WaveRock facility, will be 250,000ft2. Apple is investing $25m to set up the technology development centre.
Apple said: "We've been investing to expand our operations in India and are thrilled to have passionate customers and a vibrant developer community across the country.
"We are looking forward to opening a new development office, in Hyderabad, that will be home to over 150 Apple employees supporting maps development.
"The office will also have space for many contractors who will support our ambitious efforts locally."
Apple – like many other global businesses – has a growing customer base in India and setting up local operations could accelerate this.
The choice of location is not surprising. India, with its balance of cost, skills and business environment, is seen as the top destination in the world for global businesses to establish operations. In India there is a group of cities that is setting itself apart.
Hyderabad – like Bangalore, Gurgaon and Pune – are seen as the places to go for IT brains, experience and capital, as well as research and development (R&D). These cities have substantial IT skills bases, and diverse ecosystems with interaction between IT suppliers, corporates and education.
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- The government in China is attempting to develop an IT services industry through tax cuts, financial support and reducing bureaucracy.
- The Philippines challenges India as a destination for outsourcing in Tholons Top 100 report.
- Low-cost, highly skilled IT labour and a relatively close proximity to the UK is making Eastern Europe an increasingly attractive destination for UK businesses.
Rapidly evoloving tech cluster
Peter Schumacher, director at business consultancy The Value Leadership Group, said: "The many recent announcements from leading companies to expand their innovation centres in India underscore how rapidly these Indian innovation clusters – like Bangalore and Hyderabad – are evolving.
"India has become the world’s most important global IT innovation cluster after Silicon Valley."
And it is not just the large global businesses that are accessing these ecosystems. India has the infrastructure and skills that can help companies start to scale, from nothing to operations with thousands of staff, quickly.