Putting an end to speculations, Apple finally announced the opening of its new development centre in Hyderabad. This news comes in on the heels of an announcement of a new iOS app Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru.
Currently on his India tour, we have seen Apple CEO Tim Cook take Lord Ganesha’s blessings, meet top notch industrialists and hang out with Shah Rukh Khan. The company is definitely looking to get India to warm up to them. “Apple is focused on making the best products and services in the world and we are thrilled to open this new office in Hyderabad which will focus on Maps development,” Cook said in a statement. The company is determined to focus on tapping the abundance in skills and potential available in the country. This investment will accelerate Maps development and create up to 4,000 jobs.
Speaking to Tech2, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint Research, Tarun Pathak, digs deeper on why the tech giant zeroed in on Hyderabad to set up the development centre. “Hyderabad is already the second largest city in terms of IT export contribution. Not only it has seen increasing presence from IT companies but there has also been surge in terms of IT education sector with being a preferred location for engineering colleges and thus enabling organizations to attract IT talent,” shares Pathak.
Pathak adds that the quality infrastructure and connectivity makes Hyderabad a hot destination from the manufacturing point of view too. It should be noted that Cook did say in his statement that they would be looking to expanding their relationships, and introducing more universities and partners to their platforms, as they scale their operations. Cook was also particularly impressed by the talent in the local area.
The new Hyderabad facility will be located on the Waverock campus, and will provide a world-class, LEED-certified home for the expanding Maps team. “We are honored Apple chose Hyderabad as a home for its Maps development office,” said Telangana Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao. “This will create thousands of jobs here and is a testament to our proactive approach, quality infrastructure and the excellent talent base we have in the region.”
Apple is already seeing support from the ecosystem in the city. “Apple is one of the most innovative companies in the world and we are very proud they chose us to partner with for this important project,” said Anup Jindal, RMSI’s CEO. “We are experts in geospatial data and we will be hiring thousands of people from the local area to support this effort.”
