Apple has opened a new laboratory in Shenzhen to test its devices and strengthen ties with local suppliers. The facility covers roughly 20,000 square meters and will serve as an early-stage research and development hub in the Greater Bay Area, a corridor that includes Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong province. Source: MacRumors.
Initially focused on device testing and supplier collaboration, the Shenzhen site is part of Apple99s broader plan to expand its R&D footprint across Asia while maintaining a balanced global network.
Industry insiders anticipate the lab will eventually employ more than a thousand experts, drawn from both local talent pools and international professionals. Apple has described the facility as its largest laboratory outside the United States, underscoring the company99s sustained commitment to the Chinese market.
Observers point to intensified competition in the Chinese market, particularly with Huawei. In August, Huawei99s sales in China surpassed Apple99s for the first time in nearly four years, according to CINNO Research.
Even as Apple diversifies its supply chain beyond China, it continues to invest in domestic R&D. The company has established research centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Shenzhen, and its China R&D team has roughly doubled in size over the past five years.
Earlier reports suggested that an artificial intelligence center could emerge in Russia.