Below are the top DIGITIMES Asia stories from November 3 to November 10, 2025

Korean multinational LG Electronics is reportedly expanding its footprint in India, with plans to supply locally manufactured equipment for Apple iPhone production and to establish a global research and development center in Noida. The initiatives underline India's growing strategic importance in LG's global manufacturing and innovation strategy

Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, reported that Tesla had named Sharad Agarwal, former head of Lamborghini India, as its country head, signaling a shift toward a more localized strategy after a slow start in the world's most populous nation. Agarwal, who begins his tenure this week, will oversee day-to-day operations on the ground, replacing Tesla's prior approach of managing India through a small local team reporting remotely from China and regional hubs

South Korean electric vehicle (EV) battery maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) is facing a major security breach involving the theft of its high-density pouch-type battery technology, which reportedly ended up in the hands of Indian electric scooter manufacturer Ola Electric. The incident has raised significant concerns about the protection of South Korea's core industrial technologies

Nvidia and Qualcomm Ventures have joined a growing consortium of US and Indian investors backing India's deep-tech ecosystem, underscoring rising global interest in the country's push toward technological self-reliance, according to Reuters, TechCrunch, and PR Newswire

India's smartphone market grew 5% year-over-year in shipments and 18% in value in the third quarter of 2025, reaching its highest-ever quarterly value, according to Counterpoint Research. The growth was driven by festive-season sell-ins, aggressive promotions, and financing offers that boosted premium segment demand

Odisha marked a significant milestone in its electronics manufacturing journey as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi performed the groundbreaking ceremony for SiCSem's silicon carbide semiconductor production facility at Info Valley, Bhubaneswar. The integrated plant, backed by an investment of INR20.67 billion (US$230 million), is expected to be operational by fiscal year 2028 (April 2027 to March 2028) and create around 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, according to the official press release

India has approved several electronic component manufacturing projects, underscoring its push up the tech supply chain, while OpenAI, Meta, and Google race to secure positions in the country’s fast-growing AI market

Indian solar manufacturers are scrambling to protect their US business after Washington imposed a 50% tariff on solar modules and cells imported from India, a move that has sharply disrupted one of the country's fastest-growing export sectors

India is preparing to nearly triple incentives for rare-earth magnet manufacturing to over INR70 billion (US$788 million) as part of efforts to reduce reliance on China. The move comes just days after Beijing agreed to relax export restrictions following the latest US-China trade deal, easing immediate supply pressures

According to Reuters, Google will provide 18-month free access to its Gemini AI service for all 505 million subscribers of India's Reliance Jio, a move aimed at accelerating the adoption of its AI tools in the country. The offer includes the advanced AI model, two terabytes of cloud storage, and image and video generation capabilities, normally priced at INR35,100 (approx. US$399). Early access will begin with 18- to 25-year-old users on selected plans before expanding to all Jio customers

India's newly approved multilayer and high-density interconnect (HDI) printed circuit board (PCB) projects mark a crucial upstream shift in the country's electronics manufacturing ecosystem, one that analysts say could strengthen India's long-term semiconductor packaging and OSAT ambitions

OpenAI announced that it will provide a free year of its ChatGPT Go service to users in India, starting November 4, 2025. The promotion coincides with the company's first DevDay Exchange developer conference in Bengaluru and aims to expand adoption in one of its largest and fastest-growing markets

India's electronics manufacturing industry is entering a new phase, moving beyond low-value assembly work toward domestic component production. Both government policies and corporate strategies now emphasize building a self-sufficient component ecosystem to reduce reliance on Chinese imports and strengthen India's position in the global supply chain

As India prepares to begin commercial chip production by late 2025, much of the discussion has focused on new fabs in Gujarat