CMF and Optiemus Expand Partnership to Build India's First End-to-End Smartphone R&D Capability

CMF by Nothing and Optiemus Group have expanded their partnership to build what the companies describe as India's first full-stack, end-to-end smartphone research and development capability. As part of the expanded partnership, Optiemus will join Nothing's upcoming Series A investment round for CMF, putting the brand on a path towards majority Indian ownership.

The development builds on the manufacturing joint venture announced by Nothing and Optiemus in September 2025, which established India as a production hub for Nothing and CMF products. The companies now plan to bring manufacturing, ownership and R&D under a single Indian entity associated with CMF.

The stated objective is to move beyond assembling smartphones in India and develop the technology behind them locally. CMF says its investment in local R&D and engineering will help expand India's role in the smartphone value chain from manufacturing to technology development and global exports.

Under the expanded partnership, CMF plans to develop capabilities across six areas: industrial design, mechanical engineering, camera engineering, software engineering, connectivity engineering and component engineering.

Industrial design will cover the phone's form, materials and overall design, while mechanical engineering will focus on areas such as structural design, thermal systems and hardware architecture. Camera engineering will involve camera systems, sensors and image processing, while software engineering will cover the operating system and software powering the devices.

The planned connectivity engineering function will focus on antennas, radio systems and network performance. CMF also plans to work directly with component suppliers through its component engineering capabilities to develop, test and optimise components used in its products.

A key part of the initiative is intellectual property. CMF says the IP generated through these activities will be held locally, with smartphones intended to be designed and engineered in India rather than simply assembled in the country.

The companies also point to the concentration of smartphone engineering and component ecosystems in China as a reference for the opportunity they see in India. According to the release, CMF wants to develop a similar demand-driven ecosystem locally, connecting engineering talent, component suppliers, local intellectual property and product development.

CMF was founded by Nothing in 2023 and currently operates in more than 40 countries. The company claims it sold millions of units globally and recorded 83 per cent year-on-year volume growth in India in 2025, citing Counterpoint Research's Q4 2025 India Smartphone Shipment Tracker.

For Optiemus, the partnership builds on its existing electronics manufacturing operations in India. The publicly listed company operates across mobile devices, IT hardware, telecom equipment, hearables and wearables, precision cover glass and defence-grade unmanned systems, with five manufacturing units across India.

The expanded partnership therefore marks a shift in the companies' stated India strategy, from manufacturing smartphones locally towards developing more of the underlying design, engineering, software and component capabilities within the country.

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