Apple has signed a long-term lease for nearly 2.7 lakh sq ft of office space in Bengaluru, strengthening its presence in India even as former US President Donald Trump voiced opposition to the tech giant’s expansion plans in the country.

According to data firm Propstack, the iPhone maker has taken nine consecutive floors, from the 5th to the 13th, in Embassy Group’s Embassy Zenith tower, along with parking facilities. The lease agreement, effective from April 3, 2025, runs for 10 years with an initial monthly rent of ₹6.3 crore.

The deal involves a security deposit of ₹31.57 crore, with rent fixed at ₹235 per sq ft per month and a built-in 4.5% annual escalation, pushing Apple’s overall outgo to over ₹1,000 crore over the decade.

The move underscores Apple’s growing investment in India, where it has already become the largest mobile phone exporter, shipping iPhones worth about ₹1.5 lakh crore in FY 2024–25. The Bengaluru hub will complement its existing engineering bases in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

However, the expansion comes at a time of political friction. Speaking at a business forum in Doha, Trump said he had urged Apple CEO Tim Cook to halt investments in India. “I told him, you are doing great, but I hear you are building all over India. I don’t want that. Build in the US,” Trump remarked, calling India “a high-tariff market” that was “difficult for American companies to sell in.”

Despite the criticism, Apple’s latest lease signals a continued bet on India as both a manufacturing hub and strategic growth market.