The move positions CMF to become India’s first consumer technology brand built domestically for worldwide markets
London-based technology company Nothing has stated that CMF, its design-focused sub-brand, will operate as an independent subsidiary with India as its global headquarters for smartphone development, R&D, and manufacturing. The move positions CMF to become India’s first consumer technology brand built domestically for worldwide markets and underscores the country’s growing role in global electronics production.
As part of the transition, Nothing has entered into a strategic manufacturing joint venture with Optiemus Infracom, one of India’s leading electronics manufacturers. The partnership will establish India as a key production and export hub for Nothing and CMF products. Both companies plan to invest more than USD 100 million over the next three years, creating over 1,800 jobs in India. Nothing has already invested over USD 200 million in the country to expand its design and manufacturing presence.
Carl Pei, CEO of Nothing, said the decision reflects the strategic importance of India in shaping the global smartphone industry. “With our end-to-end capabilities, we are uniquely positioned to build CMF into India’s first truly global smartphone brand. Our joint venture with Optiemus is a key milestone toward making that vision a reality,” he said.
Optiemus will provide engineering and production support to scale the brand’s global reach. Ashok Gupta, Executive Chairman of Optiemus, said the collaboration highlights the strength of India’s manufacturing ecosystem and the government’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. “This partnership goes beyond high-tech manufacturing—it will empower us to create export-ready products that are designed in India,” Gupta said.
The announcement follows a series of strategic steps to strengthen CMF’s presence in India, including relocating its global marketing operations to the country and appointing Himanshu Tandon as Vice President of CMF Business. It also comes shortly after Nothing’s USD 200 million Series C funding round, which valued the company at USD 1.3 billion and brought on new investors including Nikhil Kamath.
With India as the base for global operations, CMF will develop end-to-end smartphone and smart hardware capabilities, from design to manufacturing, for markets around the world.
