Apple has begun production of iPhone 14 in India sooner than expected in a surprise move, according to a Bloomberg report. The move by the tech behemoth is expected to cut down on production lag between China and India by a considerable amount, from months to weeks. 

The announcement from Apple came on Monday weeks after it launched the iPhone 14 on September 7. Apple worked with its primary production company Foxconn Technology Group, the Taiwanese electronics contract manufacturer, to set up iPhone assembly in Chennai two months after the global release of the new line of phones.

Foxconn reduced the timeline by eliminating existing supply chain issues, anonymous insiders told Bloomberg. 

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For years now, China has been Apple’s number one go to for manufacturing. However, that is changing given the Biden administration’s clashes with Xi Jinping’s government. Recently the US banned the export of certain AI chips from manufacturers like Nvidia and AMD to China. The country has already been grappling with strict weeks-long lockdowns to clamp down on COVID-19, which has affected economic activity. 

On the other hand, Narendra Modi’s government has been pushing hard to be viewed as a viable alternative to China’s production capabilities even as Western companies begin to become apprehensive about additional investment in Beijing. 

Foxconn’s Indian factories usually begin to assemble iPhones at least six to nine months after Chinese factories, partially because shipping critical components to an assembly line less accustomed to the existing process takes more time. 

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In the meantime, India has repeatedly been presenting itself as a viable option thanks to China’s COVID-19 policies and economic sanctions. For those who have large assembly lines in China, industry executives are beginning to explore a scenario where they can move some of their manufacturing to countries like India or Vietnam.