S Korea's KT proposes to establish AI data center in Vietnam

KT, formerly known as Korea Telecom, has proposed to set up an AI data center in Vietnam, which will serve as a strategic hub to develop AI solutions and human resources for the Southeast Asian market.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung on Monday received Young Shub Kim, CEO of KT, which owns the strongest telecom network in South Korea and leads in the fields of 5G, broadband internet, AI, cloud computing, and data centers in the East Asian country.

At the meeting, Young Shub Kim also expressed his wish to receive support from the Vietnamese Government regarding KT's cooperation with military-run Viettel Group, which is expected to lay the foundation for strategic initiatives on AI, innovation, and AI-driven transformation.

The CEO proposed to expand AI infrastructure in Vietnam, including the construction of a modern AI data center to serve the region's development need.

In response, Deputy PM Dung said that science-technology, innovation, and digital transformation are the main driving forces of Vietnam's economic restructuring.

"They help to renew the country's growth drivers, helping it to catch up and rise up in the new era. AI is one of the key technologies to promote the development of science-technology and innovation," he said.

Dung added that the Vietnamese government supports cooperation between KT and large Vietnamese technology enterprises like Viettel Group in such areas as technology transfer, human resource training, and AI infrastructure investment.

This includes building an AI data center and establishing KT's global development center in Vietnam to develop AI solutions and human resources for the Southeast Asian market, he added.

Dung said he hopes that the two sides will further discuss in detail and soon implement practical cooperation projects, contributing to the prosperity of both countries.

The Deputy PM suggested that KT research and develop an AI data center model suitable to Vietnam's socio-economic conditions and the country's economic and technological growth rate.

He asked KT to share experience in operating and managing AI data centers with Vietnamese partners, cooperate with the National Innovation Center (NIC) and domestic institutes/universities to establish an AI engineer training program, and connect Vietnamese and Korean universities in training high-quality human resources in AI.