Apple has created a new data-processing subsidiary in Shanghai, according to publicly available business registry information.

The subsidiary, called Apple Technology Development (Shanghai), has a registered capital of US$35 million and will focus on software development, big data services, storage, and data processing.

Tejas Kirit Gala, who oversees various Apple entities in China, is identified as the legal representative of the company.

The new venture is wholly owned by Apple South Asia, according to the Chinese business registry platform Tianyancha.

This initiative comes as Apple faces challenges in the competitive Chinese smartphone market, particularly from domestic brands like Huawei.

As of now, the company has not provided any comments regarding this development.