Global giants may eye a slice of TN's 2 mn laptop tender

State floats largest laptop procurement via single tender

- SHINE JACOB

It is being hailed as the largest ever laptop procurement through a single tender in India, aimed at providing free laptops to 1 million college students in Tamil Nadu.

According to sources, nearly all major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the country — including Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Asus, and Samsung — have already shown interest in the tender and have engaged in multiple rounds of discussions with the state government.

Key industry players such as Microsoft, Google, and Intel have also held talks with state authorities ahead of the tender process. The Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu issued a global tender on Friday, seeking to procure roughly 2 million laptops over a two-year period. The first phase of the tender, covering 1 million units, has now been floated after a go-ahead from Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.