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OnePlus will invest Rs 1,000 crore in its Hyderabad R&D centre

Despite the talent shortage in the desired fields, Mr Lau was quick to draw comparisons with Shenzen a decade ago.

Hyderabad: Chinese premium smartphone maker OnePlus, which inaugurated its Hyderabad R&D centre on Monday, plans to hire around 1,500 people over the next three years as it looks to make the centre its biggest one globally, OnePlus founder and CEO Pete Lau said.

OnePlus, which has five other R&D centres across the world, will start the Hyderabad centre with only 200 people as there is a “shortage of talent in the field of camera and 5G in the country”, Mr Lau said.

Speaking to the media after the inauguration ceremony, Mr Lau confirmed that the company plans to invest around Rs 1,000 crore over the next three years as it will look to hone and develop talent in the areas that the Hyderabad R&D centre would specialise in — Camera, 5G and Automation.

Mr Lau, who was speaking via a translator, said, “Unlike other R&D centres, which essentially plays the role of a support centre, OnePlus will hone and develop the available talent for our need... The Hyderabad centre will support our global requirements including 5G solutions.”

Despite the talent shortage in the desired fields, Mr Lau was quick to draw comparisons with Shenzen a decade ago. Pro-business policies was one of the factors behind OnePlus choosing Hyderabad for its R&D centre.

Mr Lau said that OnePlus, which considers India to be its biggest market with 33 per cent of the global revenue, is looking to scale up manufacturing in India as required. “As the largest OEM (original equipment maker) in the premium segment, we want to and see ourselves as having influence to help bring supply chain for build out of premium flagship devices to make that supply chain more complete. That’s good for OnePlus and India and the entire industry. As our supply chain is further developed, we will then be interested in exploring the opportunity for export,” Mr Lau said. He said that export to the US may begin as early as the end of this year.

OnePlus, which has five other R&D centres across the world, will start the Hyderabad centre with only 200 people as there is a “shortage of talent in the field of camera and 5G in the country”, Mr Lau said. He confirmed that the company plans to invest Rs 1,000 crore over the next three years.

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