Vietnam National University-HCMC, Synopsys to train semiconductor students

U.S.-based leading chip company Synopsys and Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM) signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday to increase cooperation on chip design training and research.

As part of the deal, Synopsys will share its training programs and allow VNUHCM students to access and use its chip design tools. Synopsys will also offer internships and provide career opportunities inside and outside Vietnam following four-month courses called “Train-the-Trainer” for young lecturers.

Synopsys and VNUHCM will link up in developing the latter’s semiconductor research institute into a main hub in HCMC. The move aims to connect universities, businesses, and institutes, while providing equipment to universities and start-ups.

Additionally, Synopsys will recommend students to its partners and urge them to develop a R&D center in VNUHCM.

VNUHCM is a leading semiconductor training unit in Vietnam. Synopsys’ data showed that 53% of chip design engineers in Vietnam graduate from VNUHCM. The university currently has 6,000 students on semiconductor-related courses. It aims to train at least 1,800 bachelors and 500 masters in chip design and establish a semiconductor research institute by 2030.

The government plans to train between 50,000 and 100,000 high-skilled workers in the 2025-2030 period as Vietnam braces for a fresh investment wave to sweep its semiconductor industry, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. He said the plan was part of broader efforts to develop a skilled workforce in tandem with fostering research and development, technology application, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

In January, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung said Vietnam had selected five universities for training the semiconductor industry workforce. The five institutions are VNU Hanoi, VNUHCM, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, FPT University, and Danang University of Science and Technology.

In February, Samsung Electronics and VNU Hanoi signed a memorandum of agreement for masters course for semiconductor and chip training.