Foxconn to Build Asia’s Largest Worker Dormitory in Karnataka, Will Build New iPhone Manufacturing Hub
Foxconn, a major manufacturing partner of Apple, is rapidly expanding its operations in India. The company has begun building massive dormitories for workers at its 300-acre iPhone manufacturing campus in Devanahalli, Karnataka. According to an Economic Times report, these dorms will house nearly 30,000 workers – and will be the largest such facility in India.
The campus is located in Doddagollahalli and Chapparadahalli villages, just 34 km from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. Foxconn is investing a total of $2.56 billion (about ₹21,000 crore) in this project. ₹3,000 crore has already been invested in the first phase 2023–24, while almost the same amount will be invested in the second phase 2026–27.
Women workers will get special preference
Foxconn has said that a new dormitory facility is being built especially for women workers. According to reports, 50–80% of the workforce at the Devanahalli plant is women. These women employees have to travel far and wide daily, due to which these dormitories will prove to be very useful for them. The company says that these facilities will provide a safe and accessible environment to the women workforce.
A banner put up at the construction site read: “Safety alert month for the new dormitory project in area C&D of the Elephant Project.” The Elephant Project is the internal codename of Foxconn’s Devanahalli plant.
iPhone production has already begun
Some Foxconn employees told ET that production of some iPhone models has already begun in May, and manufacturing of some more models will begin by August. Shipments from the plant could begin by June. Wan Hai container trucks, which belong to a Taiwanese shipping company and are generally used for goods transportation, were also seen near the site.
The plant is being developed under the “China+1” strategy – aimed at reducing manufacturing dependency on China and increasing production in countries like India.
Inspiration from Sriperumbudur model
Foxconn follows a similar dormitory system at its Sriperumbudur unit in Tamil Nadu, which houses 18,000 workers. The same model is being adopted at its Devanahalli unit, but on a much larger scale. This is set to be Apple’s biggest manufacturing investment in India.
Taiwanese employees living on high-end rent
Some senior Taiwanese employees of the company are currently staying in rented flats and hotels in and around Bengaluru. According to Sandeep Reddy, co-founder of property data firm Zapkey, these people are staying in high-end properties at monthly rents of up to ₹2.5 lakh.
Apart from this, BCD Group has leased 900 ready-to-move-in residential units to Foxconn in Hoskote area, where 6,000 to 8,000 women workers will get accommodation. This township is spread over 75-acres, which also includes commercial zones, schools, health centers and entertainment areas.
Will make 100,000 iPhones by 2025
The company’s target is to make 1 lakh iPhones in its Karnataka unit by December 2025. According to the March 2025 report, Foxconn aims to make 25–30 million iPhones in India next year, which is double the production of last year.
Apple CEO Tim Cook also said on May 1 that most of the iPhones sold in the US in the June quarter will be made in India – not in China.
India is becoming Apple’s new manufacturing hub
Apart from Foxconn, Tata Electronics also makes components for Apple. Tata has now acquired India-based plants of Wistron and Pegatron. Foxconn has plants in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana. Apart from Devanahalli, a new facility has also been started in Hyderabad where AirPods are being manufactured.
All this indicates that Apple’s investment and manufacturing expansion in India is no longer just an option but has become a necessity. Foxconn’s Karnataka project is a big step towards making India a major player in Apple’s global supply chain.