Carl Pei, co‑founder of OnePlus, announced on X that CMF will set up its R&D, design, and manufacturing hub in India, a move aimed at turning the country into the backbone of a new global smartphone brand.
The announcement followed the government’s 2024 announcement of a ₹62,500‑crore mobile‑phone manufacturing scheme designed to deepen value addition and a separate Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme covering camera modules and PCBs.
Pei said the key to success is ‘real R&D’—designing everything from chipsets to antennas—rather than merely assembling off‑the‑shelf kits. He added that India’s IT talent and existing supply chain make it ready for that leap.
In the same month, Optiemus and CMF inked a joint venture that will invest ₹1,200 crore over three years and create 1,800 jobs, signalling the first concrete step toward the vision.
The move follows a pattern seen in Japan, South Korea and China, where local manufacturing later gave rise to global brands such as Sony and Samsung. Pei warned that without local engineering, India risks remaining a supplier rather than a creator.
CMF’s next milestone is a formal launch event scheduled for March 2027, after setting up a prototype facility in Bengaluru and signing supply‑chain contracts with three tier‑1 component makers. A 28‑year‑old engineer from the facility said the shift to design and R&D will open doors for local talent.