Samsung to Begin Laptop Manufacturing at Noida Plant Later This Year

Samsung plans to start manufacturing laptops at its facility in Noida later this year, according to a top company executive. The South Korean tech conglomerate already manufactures its smartphones in the country — these are sold domestically as well as exported — and is already making preparations to begin assembling laptops here. Samsung currently produces its laptops in China and Vietnam, and the laptop models that it plans to produce here are expected to be sold in the Indian market.

TM Roh, Samsung’s Mobile Division President, stated at a media briefing (via Mint) on Monday that the company is preparing to manufacture its laptops in the country. “Noida is a very important production base for Samsung. It is the second largest base for Samsung. There may be some changes at the plant to optimize it as per the global demand but what remains unchanged is the fact that it is an important base for us,” he said.

Last September, it was reported that Samsung was preparing to produce its laptops in the country a month later, at its Noida facility. While it appears those plans were delayed, the company has now confirmed that it will produce its laptops in India.

The government placed restrictions on the import of laptops in August 2023, as part of its efforts to boost domestic manufacturing. Apple, HP, and Samsung halted laptop imports at the time, after which the government granted firms a three-month period before the licensing regime for laptop imports came into effect.

However, before the three-month period was up, the government reversed its decision and said it would not impose the licensing requirement on imports of laptops and computers. At the time, the government said it would only monitor inbound shipments of these laptops.

Last May, the government announced the PLI 2.0 scheme for IT hardware with an outlay of Rs. 17,000 crore. India reportedly imported computers and laptops worth $7.37 billion (roughly Rs. 61,300 crore) in 2021-22, which fell to $5.33 billion (roughly Rs. 44,300 crore) in 2022-23.