Cisco plans to significantly expand its investments in India, positioning the country as a key hub for manufacturing, engineering, and chip design. Despite the pending trade agreement between India and the United States, Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins emphasized that the company sees robust long-term growth opportunities in the region. Speaking at CNBC-TV18's Gateway to India Leadership Corridor event, Robbins highlighted the country's strong commitment to technology and its growing manufacturing operations, which are increasingly exporting products to global markets.
Cisco has been operating in India since 1995 and has evolved from hiring talent and engineering to chip design and manufacturing. The company has also invested heavily in digital skills, training over one million students in India in the past year to prepare them for technology-related jobs. Robbins noted that Cisco adjusted its manufacturing strategy to achieve scale by expanding beyond a single product, now producing six product lines in India. More than half of these products are exported.
Looking ahead, Cisco aims to develop a stronger network of local suppliers to support more advanced manufacturing. Robbins pointed out that one of the company's products made in India contains nearly 30,000 components, underscoring the need for a robust supplier ecosystem. While Cisco would welcome greater certainty on India-US trade, Robbins maintained that the company's operations and India's technology-led growth can continue independently of a bilateral trade agreement.