According to a report in the China Business News (link via Google Translate), the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce has confirmed that Apple will open an R&D and procurement management facility in the city this summer. Apple has been emailed for comment.
The facility will consist of three buildings in Pudong district that will cost Apple a total of $8 million in rent each year. According to Tech In Asia, Apple posted Shanghai-area job listings on third-party HR sites on January 27. The positions it wants to fill include an AppleCare team manager, SPS business analyst, and an admin assistant for the Apple Online Store.
The new Shanghai R&D center is yet another sign of how important China is to Apple’s growth. Earlier this month, CEO Tim Cook said during a visit to China that the country, now Apple’s second largest market, will soon become its most important. In a data sheet it released with its earnings report last week, Apple started breaking out China as a standalone region after including it for years in a group called “Asia-Pacific.” Apple’s revenue from China jumped 67% year-over-year to $6.8 billion and in the company’s earnings call, chief financial officer Peter Oppeheimer said the company established a new operating segment for China “given the contribution of that region to our business.