According to Taiwanese publication DigiTimes, Foxconn Electronics this week officially opened a new research and development facility in Nanning, China. Foxconn reportedly sunk $24.6 million into the facility.

The report states that the center will be used for research and development, as well as testing and certification of various products. The facility is expected to have individual labs for projects such as testing products for reliability, failure analysis, and electromagnetic compatibility. It will also house a new cloud computing datacenter for Foxconn.

DigiTimes reports that the new facility will begin research next year with 10 separate projects to be completed throughout 2014. Up to 1,000 researchers are expected to be employed at the facility within two years.

Foxconn is best known as the Chinese manufacturer behind Apple’s iPhone and iPad products. The company is also infamous for hiring underage workers and for a poor work environment, problems it has tried to correct in recent years. The company has since become one of the most successful manufacturers in China, and produces products and components for a wide variety of tech brands.

Having found success, Foxconn has recently moved into areas outside of manufacturing, something its new R&D facility could be meant to help with. Earlier this year it was reported that the company is set to become a 4G mobile data provider in Taiwan.