Creating a blueprint for laptop manufacturing success in India

Laptops have become indispensable tools for modern life, shaping our personal and professional lives. For a country with India's demographic capital, a shift from content consumption to content creation is essential to unlock our full potential as a nation. The domestic laptop market, growing at 15% annually, presents a significant opportunity—driven by digital adoption across education, business, and personal productivity. Moreover, the importance of laptops is becoming vital for students in an AI world, aiding their academic excellence while stimulating innovation and creativity. However, while demand is rising, achieving true digital equality across the population requires reimagining laptops that work for us while tackling the challenge of affordability. Therefore, a robust local manufacturing ecosystem is essential—not just for cost efficiency, but for enabling innovation, self-sufficiency, and global relevance.

Recognising the strategic significance of a robust domestic laptop manufacturing ecosystem, India has made considerable progress over the past few years. A number of players including multinational companies such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, and domestic companies like VVDN Technologies, Syrma SGS, and Dixon Technologies have established manufacturing facilities in different states, contributing to local production, job creation and technology and design knowhow—which aligns with the government’s broader push to prioritise innovation-driven manufacturing

While India has made significant strides, it is far from self-sufficient in the supply chain. While the country has advanced in assembling laptops to cater to diverse need, reliance on imported components such as semiconductors, processors, PCBs, capacitors, and displays highlights opportunities for further growth. To address this, localising sub-assemblies and fostering strategic partnerships are essential for building a resilient supply chain. Recent initiatives such as the INR 22,919 crore Electronic Components Manufacturing Scheme announced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to bolster the component ecosystem deserve recognition, as they align with industry goals. In addition, increasing demand along with supporting manufacturing is crucial to growing laptop penetration. India has low household penetration of personal computers and modernising education is a key step towards the same. Improving accessibility, infrastructure especially in schools, and connectivity will help position India as a global hub for electronics manufacturing.

Building a sustainable laptop manufacturing ecosystem

Building a sustainable laptop manufacturing ecosystem requires stimulating demand, fostering market viability, and incentivising affordable domestic production. In addition, harmonising quality standards with global benchmarks will also enable locally made devices to compete internationally.

To establish a sustainable laptop manufacturing ecosystem, India must focus on several key success factors:

· Spur demand and market development: We have low household penetration of laptops and desktops (about 10% versus China at 50% and USA at 81%). For example, a crucial sector like education lacks adequate technology adoption. Data shows almost 50% of schools don’t have PCs or internet infrastructure. With AI, education needs innovation to move beyond rote learning and using a notebook in addition to textbooks. Collaborative efforts between manufacturers and stakeholders can drive affordability and accessibility of locally made laptops. Specific government incentives on lower tax for education, support for schools and education institutions to have baseline infrastructure can all stimulate demand and more importantly, make our next generation future ready.

· Supply chain localisation and scaling: Prioritise the manufacturing of critical components such as PCBs, displays and memories that can deliver early wins and provide the required scale to localise other critical components in the medium term. Strategic collaboration across electronics sectors (e.g., laptops, mobile phones, TVs) can leverage shared R&D, production infrastructure, and economies of scale, reducing import dependency while fostering innovation.

· Building local innovation: Why should a laptop look and feel the same all over the world? The product is ripe for innovation and I think the vibrant startups in our country can aid in reimagining this device for Generation Alpha/Beta that is growing up in a digital world. As industry players with deep expertise in this space, we need to empower indigenous players to develop innovative and differentiated products and solutions that are tailored for Indian consumers—such as devices optimised for regional languages, rugged designs, and localised software and much more.

· Trade agreements and commercial corridors: Integrate India’s strengths—skilled workforce, cost efficiency, and technology innovation—into bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. Harmonising standards with global benchmarks will unlock market access, while commercial corridors can foster cross-border collaboration and resource complementarity. With the global demand for alternative locations and multi-location sourcing, India has the potential to become a key destination for electronics manufacturing.

Government policies as a catalyst for manufacturing excellence

The Indian government has actively been supporting local manufacturing through strategic pillars such as “Make in India”, focusing on self-reliance and laying a solid foundation for domestic production. A key element of this support is the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) which prioritises critical components to enhance supply chain resilience and diversify global procurement, while generating large-scale employment. Building and strengthening resilient supply chains will be key to augmenting the vision of Viksit Bharat, empowering India to emerge as a global manufacturing hub. The PLI scheme was restructured in 2023, thereby linking incentives to localisation and investment. While it aims to spur manufacturing, its success depends on overcoming challenges like building a self-sufficient ecosystem and reducing reliance on imports. These measures, complemented by academic-industry collaboration, represent the foundational steps required to strengthen India’s competitiveness in the global market.

The future is ours to build

With a skilled workforce, rising digital demand, and favourable policies, India can be the driver of growth and innovation for the world. However, we need to change the playbook. Sure, we need to be competitive in terms of cost, quality etc., but we need demand and innovation to play a key role. Our large market

needs to be unlocked and it’s a competitive advantage to bring manufacturing in, today we have that with phones and electronics needs that path. To achieve this, a collaborative effort between policymakers, manufacturers, and technology leaders isn’t just ideal—it’s essential. By coming together to shape forward-looking policies, invest in future-ready infrastructure, and co-innovate across the value chain, we can accelerate the buildout of a robust, competitive tech manufacturing ecosystem that not only serves India but leads the world.

(Views are personal; the author is VP and MD, India Region, Intel)