Tech giant Intel announced on Friday that is collaborating with eight Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) companies and Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) to expedite the production of laptops under the Make in India initiative.

The companies Intel has collaborated with include Bhagwati Products Ltd, Dixon Technologies India Ltd, Kaynes Technology India Ltd, Optiemus Electronics Ltd, Panache Digilife Ltd, Smile Electronics Ltd, Syrma SGS Technology Ltd, and VVDN Technologies Private Ltd.

Intel also noted that this collaboration would mark the maiden entry of some of these companies into laptop manufacturing.

“Under this collaboration, Intel shared its expertise to facilitate the production of complete entry-level laptops in India, which included utilising state-of-the-art SMT lines, setting up a quality control process for components and even benchmarking of finished products,” the chipmaker added.

Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar lauded Intel for its efforts towards Make in India and helping to build the electronics manufacturing ecosystem for laptops and computers. “This aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to drive India's Digital Economy to $1 trillion and enable the electronics manufacturing ecosystem to contribute $300 billion by 2025-26,” he said.

Santhosh Viswanathan, VP & MD, India Region, Intel, expressed his enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, "Intel has been the fundamental enabler of several electronic ecosystems across the world, and we are excited about fueling the same in India. Bringing in Intel's technology-related investments and global system supply chain ecosystem knowledge exemplifies our dedication to fostering electronic manufacturing capabilities in India.”

He also added that by enabling the laptop manufacturing process — from surface mount technology assembly to finished product — the company is not only meeting the demands of the Make in India initiative but also contributing to the technological progress of the nation.

The government has received 40 applications for the PLI Scheme 2.0 for IT hardware for manufacturing laptops, PCs and servers, after the deadline for applying ended on August 30.

In May, the Union Cabinet authorised a ₹17,000-crore incentive to stimulate the local manufacturing and the scheme is expected to create ₹4.7 lakh crore in incremental production over a six-year period.

Additionally, Intel is gearing up to host the India Tech Ecosystem Summit later in November, where it will gather a myriad of local manufacturers to showcase a portfolio of devices made in India.

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