Leave India…: Foxconn to hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians working at iPhone factories in India
's largest iPhone manufacturer has recalled over 300 Chinese engineers and technicians from its Indian production facilities, creating significant operational challenges as the tech giant prepares for iPhone 17 manufacturing. The mass withdrawal, which began two months ago, leaves only Taiwanese support staff at Foxconn's southern India plants, according to Bloomberg sources.
The exodus comes as a major disruption to Apple's India expansion strategy, particularly as Foxconn constructs a new iPhone assembly facility in the region. While product quality may remain unaffected, assembly line efficiency could suffer during the critical ramp-up period for next-generation iPhone production.
China blocks tech talent migration to rival manufacturing hubs
Beijing officials have quietly pressured regulatory agencies and local governments to restrict technology transfers and skilled labor exports to India and Southeast Asia, Bloomberg News reported. This coordinated effort aims to prevent Chinese companies from relocating manufacturing capabilities to competing nations amid escalating
US-China trade tensions
.
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The strategy extends beyond personnel, encompassing specialized equipment and technical know-how essential for high-tech manufacturing. China's actions come as countries like India and Vietnam aggressively court global technology companies seeking to diversify their supply chains away from Chinese dependence.
Apple CEO Tim Cook
has consistently emphasized the irreplaceable expertise of Chinese assembly workers, describing their skills as fundamental to maintaining production standards beyond mere cost considerations.
iPhone production goals threatened as geopolitical tensions rise
India currently produces one-fifth of global iPhone output, a remarkable achievement considering large-scale assembly began just four years ago. Apple had targeted manufacturing most US-bound iPhones in India by late 2026, a timeline now facing potential delays due to the technical expertise shortage.
The development highlights the complex challenges facing multinational corporations navigating geopolitical rivalries while attempting supply chain diversification. President Trump has criticized Apple's offshore manufacturing plans, advocating for US-based iPhone production despite prohibitive American labor costs. China-India relations also remain strained despite recent diplomatic engagement.
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Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Holtec plans to go public early next year to part-finance proposed SMR-based projects in India: CEO
Holtec International, a key player in the American nuclear industry that was cleared by the US Department of Energy (DoE) earlier this year to invest in India's atomic energy sector, plans to go public between April and June next year to raise around $5 billion, Kris P. Singh, the Indian-American promoter and CEO of the company said. Camden, New Jersey-based Holtec, one of the world's largest exporters of capital nuclear components and a frontrunner in the emerging small modular reactor (SMR) space, proposes to combine an initial public offering with some private placement to raise capital for its upcoming projects, including proposed SMR-based projects in India. 'Foreign companies are now getting ready to come and invest in India… At our end, we understand that a lot of capital is needed to do that. Of course, we will borrow capital, but our own capital has to be increased. So we have launched a programme for early next year, and around April or so, we will do an IPO. In addition to the public offering, we will also do some private placement… So, a portion of the funds (being raised) will be through the IPO, while another portion would be through private placement… We want to raise about $5 billion to begin with, and then, of course, we will raise more. And the one main reason I'm doing it is so that we can go build in India,' Singh told The Indian Express. On the private placement plan, Singh said he proposes to unbundle some parts of the company (Holtec International) and offer some of these segments to investors through the private market, including sovereign wealth funds and other investors. The idea, he said, is to altogether raise about $5 billion by mid-next year, between April and June 2026, so that Holtec International is 'well placed to begin construction of SMRs in India'. 'That is, if India puts in place the legislative provisions needed for enabling these investments. If that does not go through, I will direct that (the funding) to other places. But the idea is to get ready in the hope that the Indian government will clear the way for us to invest,' Singh said. If completed, Holtec's IPO would be the largest nuclear energy listing in years. Holtec's planned entry into the public markets comes at a time of surging interest in nuclear energy from data centers and the clean energy transitions planned by utilities across markets. The company is also learnt to be in talks with Abu Dhabi-based investment fund International Holdings Company for a potential fundraise. For India, Holtec holds special significance. Unlike Westinghouse Electric Co and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, the two American nuclear industry flag bearers that were seen as early frontrunners for an entry into India's civil nuclear sector, the smaller, privately-owned Holtec is now suddenly in the lead to invest in the country's nuclear sector. The company was accorded an unprecedented regulatory clearance by the US DoE less than three months ago that potentially sets it on course to leverage the commercial potential of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. The March 26 approval from DoE effectively cleared Holtec International's application for specific authorisation with respect to the DoE's restrictive regulation that is referred to as '10CFR810'. This specific authorisation (SA IN2023-001) now conditionally permitted Holtec to transfer 'unclassified small modular reactor technology' (SMRs) to its regional subsidiary Holtec Asia, as well as Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd, and Larsen & Toubro Ltd in India. Holtec's pitch is for fostering a public-private initiative centred on the American company's flagship small modular reactor, the SMR-300, to potentially help break this stasis in the nuclear engagement between the two countries, with the possibility of using existing coal plant sites in India to deploy its proposed SMR-based projects and the possibility of joint manufacturing at some point in the future. For that to happen, the Indian government is gearing up to move two crucial amendments in the laws governing the country's atomic energy sector. The first relates to the easing of provisions in the nuclear liability law while the second amendment is aimed at enabling private companies to enter nuclear power plant operations in the country, and could also enable foreign companies to potentially take a minority equity exposure in upcoming nuclear power projects. Hitherto, atomic energy has been one of India's most closed sectors. The twin legal amendments are being seen as a reform push that could help leverage the commercial potential of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal nearly two decades after it was inked. New Delhi is also keen to package this as part of a broader trade and investment outreach with Washington DC, which could eventually culminate with a trade pact that is currently under negotiation. On the US side, the issue of getting a specific '10CFR810' authorisation (Part 810 of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations of the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954) had been a big regulatory hurdle for New Delhi. This is because the regulation, while giving American companies such as Holtec the ability to export equipment to countries such as India under some strict safeguards, explicitly barred them from manufacturing any nuclear equipment or performing any nuclear design work in India. This provision was a non-starter from New Delhi's perspective, which wanted to participate in manufacturing the SMRs and co-produce the nuclear components for its domestic needs. With Washington DC having eased out the regulatory hurdle in the form of the 810 authorisation, the ball is now in New Delhi's court to push through the two legislations at its end. As of now, two SMR projects have reached the operational stage globally. One is an SMR named Akademik Lomonosov floating power unit in Russia that has two-modules of 35 MWe (megawatt electric) and started commercial operation in May 2020. The other is a demonstration SMR project called HTR-PM in China that was grid-connected in December 2021 and is reported to have started commercial operations in December 2023. Apart from Holtec's SMR-300, other emerging western contenders in the SMR segment include the Rolls-Royce SMR, NuScale's VOYGR SMR, Westinghouse Electric's AP300 SMR and GE-Hitachi's BWRX-300. India is hoping to pitch itself as a credible alternative to the incumbents in this niche field, riding on its strong track record of having operated small-sized reactors over an extended period of time and the ability to manufacture nuclear reactors cost-effectively and at scale. This also comes at a time when Beijing is working on an ambitious plan to seize the opportunity of global leadership in the SMR space, unlike large reactors where China has been a latecomer. Like India, Beijing is seeing SMRs as a tool of its diplomatic outreach in the Global South and that the country could shake up the SMR industry, just as it has done in the electric vehicle sector. Established in 1986, Holtec provides spent fuel storage and logistics support for over 140 nuclear plants worldwide, as well as services such as nuclear decommissioning and increasingly, new reactor development. The company is now attempting what would be a first in American history—reviving a shuttered nuclear plant. The Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan, closed in 2022 for economic reasons, is slated to restart by the end of 2025 and this reactivation is being funded in part by a $1.5 billion loan guarantee from the US DoE. Holtec plans to install two of its own SMR-300 small modular reactors at the site, in collaboration with Hyundai Engineering & Construction. Holtec's SMR-300 is a pressurised light-water reactor that will produce at least 300MWe of electric power on a small parcel of land. Unlike most traditional nuclear power plants that require large quantities of water, the SMR-300 can be adjusted to use an air-cooling system and the modular design means it is easy to scale up projects. The criticism is that there is still no commercial SMR project that is up and running and the viability of these units is yet to be proven. Holtec already has a footprint in India, with a Pune-based company operating in the non-nuclear energy business.
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
ISRO transfers 10 key space technologies to Indian firms
The move should give a boost to industry participation across the upstream, midstream, and downstream space value chain while reducing dependence on imported technologies. It will also accelerate indigenisation in critical domains such as satellite navigation, launch systems, ground station infrastructure, and geospatial intelligence. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Space regulator-cum-promoter, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre ( IN-SPACe ), on Thursday said it has facilitated the transfer of 10 technologies developed by ISRO to six Indian companies. The agreements were signed at the IN-SPACe headquarters in Ahmedabad in a tripartite arrangement involving NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), IN-SPACe, and the recipient move is aimed at enhancing industry participation across the upstream, midstream, and downstream space value chain while reducing dependence on imported technologies. IN-SPACe said the tech transfers will also accelerate indigenisation in critical domains such as satellite navigation, launch systems, ground station infrastructure, and geospatial intelligence Pawan Goenka, chairman of IN-SPACe, said, 'ISRO has a flourishing repository of R&D in space technologies, and it is time we leverage that to the optimum to strengthen India's space industrial ecosystem, and in that, industry-led innovation will play a key role.'Among the technologies transferred are laser gyroscopes and ceramic servo accelerometers developed by ISRO's Inertial Systems Unit, now licensed to Hyderabad-based Zetatek Technologies. The tech transfer makes it the first Indian firm to acquire such precision navigation the midstream segment, Hyderabad-based Avantel and Jisnu Communications received ground station solutions, which are currently sourced from foreign vendors. These include Ka/S/X tri-band feeds, antenna control systems, and multi-band Cassegrain Amnex Info Technologies received geospatial models for pest prediction and crop yield estimation, while Jalkruti Water Solutions was granted a portable bathymetry system, which is used to measure and map the depth of water bodies. Ramdev Chemicals acquired a ceramic-based flameproof coating developed at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) for broader industrial companies will be offered end-to-end support for technology adoption by ISRO, IN-SPACe, and NSIL, ensuring successful adoption of the technology, the regulator said in a prepared statement.
Hindustan Times
20 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Ukraine signs deal with American firm for joint drone production, says Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Kyiv has signed an agreement with an American company, Swift Beat, to jointly produce drones. He termed this as "a crystal clear priority". Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said he is also in talks with Denmark, Norway, Germany, Canada, Lithuania, and the UK to start joint production.(X/@ZelenskyyUa) In a post on X, Zelensky said that the Ukrainian-American cooperation has been signed for the production of thousands of drones this year alone. The Ukrainian President said that the production is expected to increase significantly in the coming year. "The visit to Denmark begins with an important step for our defense. An agreement has been reached on Ukrainian-American cooperation in drone production, including interceptor drones — a crystal clear priority," Zelensky said. ALSO READ | Ukraine seeks US help after biggest Russian airstrike of 537 weapons; F16 pilot killed He further added, "Interceptors to destroy enemy drones and missiles, quadcopters for reconnaissance and fire adjustment, and long-range strike drones — all of these will be produced in much greater numbers to help us achieve our defense goals and protect the lives of Ukrainians." Zelensky said he is also in talks with Denmark, Norway, Germany, Canada, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom to start joint production. He said that Ukraine plans to sign agreements in the Summer to start exporting weapon production technologies. This comes just two days after the US reportedly stopped the delivery of air-defense interceptors and other weapons intended for Ukraine and other weapons meant for Ukraine, instead using those to beef up Pentagon stocks. ALSO READ | Trump's Big Beautiful Bill failing because of Ukraine weapons freeze? Here's the key link The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a Trump administration official and two congressional aides, that Washington's decision to withhold the arms deliveries to Ukraine reflects the Trump administration's loosening commitment to aiding Kyiv in its fight against Russia. Following a Pentagon review of US military assistance, 'this decision was made to put America's interests first', said Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman. The shipments, which included Patriot air-defense interceptors, air-to-air missiles, Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and surface-to-surface rockets, artillery rounds, and Stinger surface-to-air missiles, were in Poland when they were halted. Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for policy at the Pentagon, said that Defense Department would provide President Donald Trump with options to continue military aid to Ukraine that are "consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end".
