‘Historic milestone’: Pakistan’s first Google Chromebook assembly line launched

#Historic #milestone #Pakistans #Google #Chromebook #assembly #line #launched

Deputy Prime Minister Senator Ishaq Dar said the government was taking “concrete” steps to achieve the vision of Digital Pakistan, describing the launch of the country’s first Chromebook assembly line as a “defining moment” in its digital journey.

Speaking at the launch event titled “Building the Digital Future” on Tuesday, Dar noted that local production will make digital devices more affordable and accessible, especially for the education sector.

“From the launch of Pakistan’s first Chromebook assembly line to the announcement of Google establishing a local presence in Pakistan and the agreement between the Government of Pakistan and Google to empower our youth, this is a defining moment in our country’s digital transformation,” said Dar, attended by representatives of federal ministers, IT experts and representatives.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the move has great economic significance, marking an industrial milestone to lay the foundation for jobs, supply chain development, and future technology exports.

He said this move will bring Google closer to Pakistan’s developers, startups and entrepreneurs, enabling direct collaboration, capacity building, and greater access to global platforms.

“I assure you, Google management, you will not regret setting all this up in Pakistan… you will be very happy to be here… and in the coming years, you will find many multinationals and other partners here,” he added.

The deputy prime minister said Pakistan was moving “rather quickly” to get a position in the League of Nations, which it was originally destined for.

‘Google to train 100,000 developers across the country’

Under the MoU, Google and Pakistan will collaborate to provide AI skills training for 100,000 developers across the country, Dar said.

He said that the current government is committed to creating an enabling environment for technology investment, collaboration, and establishing a sustainable local presence.

For this, he said the government has set up the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to facilitate the establishment of businesses in the shortest possible time.

“Our policies aim to make Pakistan a regional hub for technology development, supported by a regulatory framework that supports innovation, ensures transparency, and encourages investment.”

Allaying the concerns of high financial tax rates, the Deputy Prime Minister said the government is looking for an agenda to establish a reasonable, affordable and comparable tax structure.

Coming to the economic outlook of the country, he said that the government is trying to recover and ensure that Pakistan is ready to enter the global G20 club as soon as possible.

He also told the gathering that while Pakistan had total debt and liabilities of $130 billion, it was blessed with mines and minerals along with rocks, with hydrocarbons worth $6 trillion to $10 trillion.

The deputy prime minister, who returned from Istanbul after attending a coordination meeting of Arab-Islamic foreign ministers, said that last month, the Gaza Peace Agreement was signed by eight countries in the presence of President Trump.

“Efforts are now underway to implement this peace agreement,” he added.

Empowering education

In a major move towards accelerating Pakistan’s digital transformation and building a forward-looking Pakistan, Google and the Government of Pakistan announced several initiatives – including the launch of Pakistan’s Chromebook assembly line and a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to incorporate the next phase of digital.

Google, in partnership with Tech Valley, Allied, and National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC), launched Pakistan’s first Chromebook assembly line at NRTC’s facility in Haripur.

The facility will assemble 500,000 Chromebooks by 2026, helping to create local jobs, strengthen the digital economy and pave the way for device exports from Pakistan.

This initiative directly addresses the urgent need to prepare Pakistan’s large youth population for the future of work in two important ways.

Empowering students: It will provide more affordable, high-quality Chromebooks to students and teachers across Pakistan. This access is key to helping them gain from our digital skills initiatives and become career ready.

Creating local jobs: The new assembly line will create valuable employment opportunities for local youth.

‘key step’

Farhan Qureshi, Country Director, Google Pakistan, said: “Google has been a part of Pakistan’s digital journey for many years, and local production of Chromebooks with partners, NRTC, and Tech Valley is an important step in our efforts to continue supporting digital transformation in Pakistan.”

“By providing ‘Make in Pakistan’ Chromebooks, we are providing high-quality, secure, affordable devices for teachers, students, developers and creatives to develop our robust digital skills programs.

This digital skills training and greater adoption of education technologies will reduce the digital skills gap and could increase Pakistan’s annual GDP by Rs 2.8 trillion in 2030. Apart from meeting the local demand, this initiative paves the way for the export of locally assembled equipment, and helps Pakistan showcase key hardware.

Umar Farooq, founder and CEO of Tech Valley, added: “Our mission is to unlock opportunities for every young person in Pakistan. Assembling these affordable devices locally means we can finally scale access to high-quality digital education. It’s not just about getting kids online. It’s about putting them on a direct path to meaningful employment and building a strong national economy.”

Further steps

Along with the launch, Moet and Google signed a memorandum of understanding to drive the next phase of Pakistan’s digital and AI-driven growth. The partnership focuses on three key areas:

Scaling up digital skills: Provide 100,000 Google career certificates by 2025, building on 80,000 scholarships already this year, nearly half to women. An AI talent lab will also engage 100,000+ developers in AI-first technologies.

Accelerating Gaming and Startup Industries: Collaborate on a policy framework for the gaming industry and offer workshops, mentorship, and Google Cloud support to startups under the Pakistan Startup Fund.

AI for AI: Launching a fellowship of AI leaders for 100 organizations in Pakistan – including government agencies, startups and corporates – to adopt AI responsibly, and collaborate on Android services for public safety.

As part of the MoU, Google and Moet will also collaborate to share international best practices for a workable regulatory environment.