Global tech giant Cisco is keen to continue expanding its footprint in India across manufacturing and research, but is cautious about further investment until global trade uncertainties ease, chairman and chief executive Chuck Robbins said.
The firm said its local operations have exceeded internal expectations and positioned India as a viable export base within its global supply chain.
“I think the global trade dynamics right now need to sort of get settled down so we actually can think through how it impacts our long term plans. But obviously, India is a big part of it,” Robbins said.
The company began manufacturing in India around 18 months ago with one product and has since added two more, including a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly. One of these products is now manufactured solely in India and exported globally, though he did not mention which. He also did not give details on the product line-up for future manufacturing in India, but reiterated Cisco’s commitment to continue focus on India as a manufacturing hub.
While Cisco had previously outlined a $1 billion revenue goal from its India manufacturing operations —including both domestic and export sales — it did not provide an update on the current run rate.
India is no longer seen merely as a cost-efficient location but as an integral part of Cisco’s global strategy, the firm said. The country plays a growing role in engineering and innovation and is expected to be among Cisco’s most important growth markets over the next decade.
Despite this confidence, Cisco said it is holding off on deeper investments due to uncertainty surrounding global trade policies, tariffs, and geopolitical instability.
“We just don’t know where it’s (the tariffs) all going to land. Until we understand that, it’s very difficult to adapt your supply chain strategy because you don’t want to go spend $20 or $30 million to move some aspect of it just to find out that the tariffs switch on you,” Robbins said, while addressing the media during his India visit.
The company has been in touch with US authorities, seeking clarity on trade regimes that could affect supply chain decisions.
“We’re all waiting, and we’ve been in deep communication with the White House about the uncertainty. We just need to get to clarity so we can actually respond,” Robbins offered.
In addition to manufacturing, Cisco is investing heavily in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The company is developing an AI-first security platform and sees long-term opportunity in securing both AI applications and the underlying infrastructure. While legacy products are slowing overall growth, newer offerings are gaining traction, and revenue recognition is expected to accelerate over time.
Cisco also expects increased demand in India for sovereign cloud infrastructure, data localisation, and sector-specific AI workloads—trends that align with the country’s digital transformation push.