Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi has registered a research and development center in Tampere, Finland, as reported by Finnish media SuomiMobile.
After conquering some of the developing markets, the world’s fourth-largest phone maker is seeking to increase its presence in Europe. Earlier this year, the company’s vice president, Wang Xiang, revealed that Xiaomi’s is expecting to triple the number of its stores in the old continent by the end of 2019, up from their current 50, according to Gizmochina.
The new R&D center will at first focus on “product development for camera technologies”, said Jomio Nikkanen, Director of Xiaomi Finland. The Finnish city of Tampere—once home to Nokia’s research and development activities—already houses several qualified camera experts.
The center will be part of the Hermia Science Park, located within the campus of the Tampere University of Technology.
Xiaomi is investing EUR 2 million (USD 2,25 million) into the unit according to the reports. David Arthur Felix, CEO of Xiaomi Finland, has been appointed as managing director of the newly founded company, registered as Xiaomi Finland Oy.
With the recent move, Xiaomi will join Huawei in establishing a smartphone R&D center in Finland. Huawei is present in the same location since 2016 after an initial investment of EUR 70 million (USD 78,9 million).
The move might also boost the collaboration agreement signed two years ago between Xiaomi and Nokia, focused around licensing relevant patents between the two companies.
