October 15, 2025

LG Electronics is gearing up for a tech revolution with India at its heart! CEO William Cho revealed that LG plans to tap into India’s software talent to create new semiconductors, robotics, and AI products. But that’s not all—LG also wants to boost exports of components from India by using the free trade deals that New Delhi is signing worldwide. "India is no longer a country with the best cost competitiveness, but rather a best capability country," Cho told ET. "In fact, both cost competitiveness and capabilities are co-existing — best cost for hardware and best capability for software." The Korean tech giant already runs two factories in India and is building a third in Andhra Pradesh with a whopping investment of Rs 5,001 crore to make refrigerators, washing machines, ACs, and their parts. Why all this faith in India? Cho sees India’s fast-growing economy nearing an "inflection point" where appliance demand will soar, possibly leading to shortages without enough local production. Government help through production-linked incentives is also boosting LG’s plans. A tech veteran with 38 years at LG, Cho says the company views India not just as a manufacturing base but an R&D powerhouse. Currently, LG employs about 500 people in India for research and development, but it wants to double this number by 2027 to tap into the country's vibrant young talent pool for advanced technology creation. Taking inspiration from its Indian success, LG intends to clone their local factory model across other emerging Global South markets. "It’s amazing to see Indian subsidiary’s performance in the last three decades. We would like to replicate the best practice from India in other emerging markets," he said. In a bold step, LG Electronics India Ltd was listed on Indian stock exchanges after an IPO where the parent sold a 15% stake. The IPO was a huge hit—was subscribed 54 times, raising $1.31 billion (Rs 11,605 crore). Shares soared nearly 50% on the first day, pushing its market value to about Rs 1.15 lakh crore. Cho, present in India for the listing, proudly said, "The Indian operation is self-sufficient with sky the limit. We want LG India to be a true national corporation of India and replicate the parent’s success." This IPO marks LG’s first local unit offering worldwide, fitting perfectly with its growth plans in Global South markets. Back home, LG India leads in washing machines, refrigerators (directcool & side-by-side), 4K TVs, window inverter ACs, and 5-star ACs. With all this energy and investments, LG’s Indian story is clearly heating up, making it a shining star in India’s tech and manufacturing sky!

Read More at Economictimes →

Tags: Lg electronics, India, R&d, Semiconductors, Ai, Exports,