As the contract manufacturing giant creates an environment to support the expansion of its production base here, Foxconn is considering opening a skill development center in India that may be similar to its Hon Hai Research Institute in Taiwan.

Andy Lee, the company's CEO of its Foxtron electric car venture, addressed the notion with a group of states at a meeting held last month while Foxconn chairman Young Liu was in India. Foxtron intends to produce electric vehicles in India.

This topic was raised during a conversation on India's young population and the demographic dividend it provides, the nation's emerging EV ecosystem, and the quickly rising market.

Brazil and India are potentially Foxconn's next two growth markets, the company says. They suggested that since they were concentrating so heavily on India from an EV viewpoint, they might consider opening a university there as well, similar to the one in Taiwan, which mostly consists of vocational centers and a connection between industry and academia.

According to Foxconn, the nation will develop the expertise and skills needed for manufacturing. Their overall strategy includes that, as their attention is undoubtedly turning to India. Building the necessary skills is part of their strategy to increase their manufacturing base in India, whether it be for the production of EVs, semiconductors, or electronics.

The Hon Hai Research Institute was founded in Taiwan, which is the home of Foxconn, in 2020. The institute has five research centers for quantum computing, next-generation communications, information security, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence.

According to the company's website, each center has an average of 40 high-tech R&D professionals who are all committed to the research and development of new technologies, the improvement of Foxconn's technology and product innovation pipeline, the support of the group's transition from brawn to brains, and the improvement of the competitiveness of Foxconn's 3+3 strategy.

In the words of foreign policy expert Sana Hashmi, Young Liu meeting PM Modi is a big development. It actually means that at the highest level, India is trying to court the Taiwanese company. Since the pandemic especially, the situation between China and Taiwan has become very fragile and there is a realisation that tomorrow, policies can change and be detrimental to their business interests so there is an understanding that these companies have to pull out of China as it is very uncertain.

Foxconn has been actively working to diversify its supply chain activities in light of the continuous hostility between Taiwan and China, and India has been high on the business's list of potential new markets. The company is eager to create an environment that would support its aspirations. Another step in that direction could be taken by this skill development center.