Graphics chip-maker Nvidia is looking to replicate its partnership with Indian phone-maker Lava, and is actively talking to other local original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in a bid to expand its mobile chipset business.
The company has also roughly doubled its headcount in India over the last two years, expanding it to 2,000 employees, with a majority of its employees doing more sophisticated design work.
Its India workforce is now accounts for roughly one-fourth of the chipmaker’s total employee base— in a symbolic shift that reaffirms India’s cost arbitrage and high-value talent pool.
“When we introduced the Tegra 3, we changed the price point, which was exciting for me specifically in India. The reason why my team worked so hard with the local element here is that if you could get world-class technology with Indian sensitivities, it would be a good combination,” said Vishal Dhupar, Managing Director, South Asia, in an interaction with The Hindu on Friday.
The company’s Tegra processor, which was developed mostly in India, is a low-powered chip that is used in smartphones.
Mr. Dhupar was here to participate in a MoU-signing ceremony between the company and the ICT Academy of Tamil Nadu.
“That became our first strategy here [tying up with Lava] and that seems to be working very well. Local OEMs play an important role, they are nearly 30 per cent of the market, and it is our endeavour to make solutions along with them. We are[talking with some of them],” he said.
According to Mr. Dhupar, Lava may soon come out with more form factors as well, “very quickly and in more sizes and shapes”.