Haripur – Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima on Saturday announced that Google will manufacture 600,000 Chromebooks annually in Pakistan, marking a major milestone in the country’s technology and hardware manufacturing sector.

Speaking to the media, the minister confirmed that Google has completed its formal registration process in Pakistan and is now preparing to establish a local office. The development follows the inauguration of Pakistan’s first Google Chromebook assembly line in Haripur by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar earlier this week.

Shaza Fatima said the initiative is expected to create new employment opportunities for young professionals, strengthen the domestic hardware manufacturing ecosystem, and position Pakistan as a competitive player in regional tech supply chains.

The Chromebook assembly facility in Haripur—established through a collaboration between the National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) and private sector partners—has already begun production. During her visit to the plant, the minister noted that around 600 young men and women are currently employed there.

“As production expands, the assembly line will be extended to create more jobs and enable Chromebook exports,” she said, highlighting the strong participation of women engineers contributing to the country’s technological progress.

The government also announced a series of broader digital cooperation initiatives with global technology firms. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with Google to set up artificial intelligence laboratories across Pakistan, including in schools, as part of efforts to integrate AI literacy into the national curriculum.

Meanwhile, Meta has launched Urdu-based artificial intelligence tools to support local digital innovation, and TikTok has introduced a STEM education feed to provide free science and technology learning resources. Additionally, Saudi Arabia has established an Artificial Intelligence Hub in Pakistan, enabling Pakistani firms to offer remote IT and digital services to Saudi companies.

IT experts say the developments signal growing confidence from international technology investors, strengthened in part by regulatory reforms under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), which aims to streamline business processes and encourage foreign partnerships.