Electronics manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group is putting yet more effort behind Mozilla's Firefox OS, and plans to hire up to 3,000 people in Taiwan with expertise in HTML5 and cloud computing.
On Thursday, Foxconn said it was looking to hire between 2,000 and 3,000 people in order to bolster its research into software. It's looking for software engineers with skills in HTML5 operating systems, HTML5 apps, and cloud computing, the company said.
Foxconn announced the hiring plan just two weeks after it partnered with Mozilla on its still-fledgling HTML5-based operating system, called Firefox OS. The Taiwanese company is the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer, and wants to provide its customers with an alternative operating system in the rapidly expanding mobile device arena.
Foxconn is developing more than five devices running the Firefox OS for its customers, the company said at Taipei's annual Computex trade show earlier this month. It intends to design Firefox OS reference models that will cover smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs.
Mozilla, however, is still trying to bring developers on board to the Firefox OS ecosystem. The Firefox Marketplace currently lists just over 1,000 apps.
The first devices built with the Firefox OS will be entry-level smartphones and are slated to launch in emerging markets mid-year, according to Mozilla. So far, 18 carriers and five handset makers, including Sony, Huawei Technologies and LG Electronics, plan to release products using the new mobile operating system.
While Foxconn may be best known for its large-scale manufacturing for Apple, Microsoft, Sony and other top-name brands, the company is increasing investments in research, including developing robots for manufacturing. In March, the company said it wanted to hire 5,000 people in Taiwan with skills in hardware, automation, and robotics.
