The Phnompenhpost had an interview with Thul Rithy, founder of KOOMPI, in which he shared the idea and process in making the first “Made in Cambodia” laptop

What made you want to bring a locally-manufactured computer to the Cambodian market?

We want to change the perception of a computer. Generally, when people talk about computers, they talk about Windows machines or Macs which are Apple products. We want to change that perception and we want to take this opportunity to provide affordable computers to Cambodians.

If we produce our own operating system (OS), we are able to ship in the hardware and avoid paying licensing fees for big brand names. Our goal is to produce a computer that is affordable, cost-effective, but above all a good computer.

Can you describe your manufacturing process?

We order hardware that is compatible with our system from overseas markets. We use an operating system called Krama OS, then we test our software with hardware components manufactured by companies such as Samsung and Intel.

We opted for Intel chips but we are also in touch with AMD, as they are more powerful for a lower price point since they are less widely used.

As for the hard drives, we use Samsung products, while the case is produced in the same factory that makes cases for Acer, Asus and Dell. Since there aren’t many people in Cambodia who know how to assemble computers we have them assembled in China.

The computer costs $360 per unit. We are negotiating with universities to sell more to students on installment plans and with a one-year guaranty.

According to isigroup.com.kh and phnompenhpost.com