CMF by Nothing to Operate as Independent Subsidiary With Manufacturing, Operations Based in India

CMF is now an independent subsidiary of Nothing, the London-based smartphone maker, the company announced on Thursday via a press release. The former sub-brand of the Carl Pei-led UK technology firm has shifted its end-to-end smartphone manufacturing operations to India, months after reports that it was hiring new employees in India. The company has now confirmed that the newly spun-off subsidiary will be headquartered in the country. CMF has also announced that it is entering into a strategic partnership with electronics manufacturer Optiemus Infracom to produce its devices in India.

CMF Will Manufacture Its Phones, Wearables in India

According to a press release, Nothing has spun off its erstwhile affordable sub-brand CMF as an independent subsidiary. The new venture will be headquartered in India, with its end-to-end smartphone and wearable manufacturing, operations, and research and development (R&D) based in the country. On top of this, Carl Pei-led Nothing and Optiemus Infracom have announced a new joint venture to make CMF-branded electronics in India.

Together, Nothing and Optiemus plan to invest over $100 million (roughly Rs. 887 crore) in India, while creating more than 1,800 jobs, in the next three years. The London-based tech firm claims that it has already invested over $200 million (about Rs. 1,774 crore) in the country.

This comes after Nothing appointed, in May, the former Poco India Head, Himanshu Tandon, as CMF by Nothing's Vice President of Business. The company claimed that the move aimed to drive its growth, while establishing India as a launchpad for CMF's global expansion plans. Tandon joined Poco India in 2022, serving as the country head for more than three years before exiting the company to join CMF By Nothing as its executive.

Earlier this year, in July, the former affordable Nothing sub-brand, CMF, shifted its global marketing operations to India. As part of its expansion, the company listed several job openings on its website, like project managers, PR managers, social media content producers, and marketing managers. CMF and its parent company, Nothing, assemble their smartphones, wearables, and other products at the company's manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu.

The company is one of the beneficiaries of the Indian government's flagship production-linked incentives (PLI) scheme, which aims to boost the country's manufacturing capabilities as part of the umbrella Make in India mission.