Vu Quoc Huy, Director of the National Innovation Center (Photo: nhandan.vn)

Vietnam has recently promoted cooperation in semiconductors and AI with developed countries by organizing international conferences, seminars, and exhibitions. The International AI-Semiconductor Conference (AISC) 2025, for example, will take place later this week in Hanoi and Da Nang city.

Themed "Innovating Futures: AI & Semiconductors Globally", the five-day event will bring together 1,000 delegates, including representatives from leading tech firms like Google DeepMind, IBM, Intel, TSMC, Samsung, MediaTek, Tokyo Electron, Panasonic, Qorvo, Marvell, and many others from developed economies.

The conference will cover AI development trends and AI-driven advancements in chip design and manufacturing and the potential of advanced semiconductor architectures to power next-generation AI systems.

Hosting the event shows that Vietnam has what it takes to collaborate with partners in AI and semiconductors, said Vu Quoc Huy, Director of the National Innovation Center (NIC) and co-organizer of the conference. “Under its national socio-economic development strategy from 2021 to 2030, Vietnam must catch up with the world in areas of the Fourth Industrial Revolution like AI and blockchain. Vietnam highly values investors who will bring these technologies to Vietnam,” said Huy.

Foreign direct investment in Vietnam has increased every quarter, and investment in new high-tech fields accounts for a large proportion. Last year, NVIDIA, the world's largest semiconductor chip design and manufacturing group, signed a cooperation agreement with Vietnam to establish an AI Research and Development Center and an AI Data Center in Vietnam.

According to Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Center, investors have recognized Vietnam’s readiness for investment. “Vietnam has become one of the fastest growing hubs for IT and innovation in Asia with a highly educated workforce, modern infrastructure, and strong trade agreements,” said Ms. Coke- Hamilton, adding, “The country offers significant opportunities for businesses looking to invest in technology and digital industries.”

According to the International Trade Center’s official, the Vietnamese government has invested heavily in expanding industrial parks and technology zones, ensuring modern facilities for companies in software development and cloud computing and data centers.

She took major cities like Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Danang as an example, saying that they have well developed digital ecosystems, attracting global technology firms. Infrastructure improvements including modern highways, deep sea ports, and reliable power grids make operations smooth and efficient.

Bloomberg Intelligence reports that the global semiconductor market is projected to reach 700 billion USD by the end of this year, with AI driving the digital economy.

The DeepSeek-R1, an open-source AI model, has created a wave of transformation and promoted an urgent need for efficient computing solutions. The integration of AI into semiconductor chip design and manufacturing is attracting huge investment, reshaping the entire market, and creating new opportunities for emerging technology centers around the world. In that process, Vietnam cannot miss the opportunity to catch up with the trend.

Vietnam's national development strategy has determined that investment and development in semiconductors and AI will drive its competitiveness in the digital age.

Le Nam Trung, Deputy Director of the Department of Information and Communications Industry, said that Vietnam can fully participate in all stages of the global semiconductor supply chain in the +1 principle in which Vietnam strives to become a destination for countries and organizations in the supply chain and attract the world's leading semiconductor enterprises to invest in Vietnam.

“This is the difference in Vietnam's national strategic thinking compared to others. Most countries build their strategy on a few stages they’re strong at. Vietnam intends to involve in all stages of the supply chain by following a step-by-step roadmap and taking advantage of world trends,” Trung noted.

The upcoming International AI-Semiconductor Conference will see Vietnam officially join the global AI Alliance to boost innovation in AI development. A number of agreements will likely be signed between Vietnamese enterprises and foreign partners, a basis for Vietnam to participate fully in the global value chain in the new development stage.