Lenovo begins AI server production in India, opens R&D lab in Bengaluru

Beijing-headquartered Lenovo on Tuesday said its Indian plant has started manufacturing AI-powered servers, a news which was complemented by another major announcement that the Chinese PC maker will set up a research and development (R&D) lab in Bengaluru -- which will be the fourth globally.

Lenovo’s production plant in Puducherry will manufacture 50,000 enterprise AI servers and 2,400 high-end GPU units annually.

The Puducherry plant is an existing hub for the company, and will cater to both the domestic and international demand. Company executives in an event on Tuesday in Bengaluru said that over 60 per cent of production is set for export across the Asia-Pacific region.

The plant will manufacture five key offerings, including three rack-mounted enterprise AI servers and two flagship 8-way GPU servers.

Amar Babu, President-Asia Pacific, Lenovo said, “This development marks a significant step toward achieving both Lenovo’s and the Indian government’s ‘AI for All’ vision. We remain committed to driving India’s growth as an innovation hub by expanding our global manufacturing footprint and harnessing the strength of Indian talent and the industry ecosystem for technology R&D.”

R&D lab in Bengaluru

Lenovo also announced the setting up of an AI-led R&D lab in Bengaluru. It is the fourth such infrastructure and R&D lab globally. The other three are in Morrisville, US, Beijing and Taipei.

This lab will focus on all future server designs, developments, and technical initiatives, reinforcing its commitment to R&D. These developments are part of the $1 billion investment over the next three -years that the company announced in 2023.

“We are excited about the growth potential this brings, not just for Lenovo, but for India as a global innovation hub,” said Amit Luthra, Managing Director, Lenovo ISG India.

Lenovo established manufacturing in India nearly two decades ago and began Motorola R&D about a decade ago. Recently, it achieved key milestones, including launching a Global Shared Support Center and PMA-compliant PCs with made-in-India motherboards.

“Our commitment to developing local talent and supporting India’s tech economy is long-term. With today’s announcement of AI server manufacturing in India, we complete Lenovo’s pocket-to-cloud technologies ‘Made in India’ for the world. The Infrastructure R&D Lab’s focus on designing and developing next-generation mainstream servers further underscores Lenovo’s dedication to ‘R&D in India for the world,” said Shailendra Katyal, Managing Director, Lenovo India.