Apple is turning to manufacturing partner Foxconn to facilitate efforts to expand both research centers and business further into Southeast Asia, and open up facilities in China and Indonesia, according to recent reports.
Foxconn has been manufacturing for Apple for over a decade. While Apple's Indonesian presence is somewhat limited at the moment, Foxconn has been in Indonesia for several years according to Chinese language journal Economic Daily News talking about the manufacturer's assistance to Apple.
Not clear is what assistance Foxconn may specifically give Apple, beyond access to already-forged business arrangements with local suppliers and businesses.
In late November, Indonesian Communication and Information Minister H.E. Rudiantara said that the country's Communication and Informatics Ministry was "finalizing the plan" for an Apple-led research center in Jakarta. Apple has reportedly already selected a few locations in the country for the center.
Earlier in the year, Chinese media reported that Apple is launching its first research and development center, located in technology incubation area Zhongguancun Science Park, Beijing. According to reports on the matter, the center has a budget of about $15 million, with a long-term expenditure goal of $45 million over the next few years. The center is allegedly seeking to hire around 500 workers, with no particular focus beyond Apple products and software.