Vietnam picks five universities to impart semiconductor training

Vietnam has selected five universities for training a much needed semiconductor industry workforce, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung said Friday.

The five institutions are Hanoi National University, Ho Chi Minh City National University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, FPT University, and Danang University of Science and Technology.

Speaking at a workshop in Danang on the central city riding an investment wave in chip design and artificial intelligence (AI), he said the five universities would become key hubs because the country had chosen the semiconductor industry for achieving a development breakthrough.

To achieve the breakthrough, the government has set a goal of having about 50,000 chip design engineers, 200,000 semiconductor-focused electronics engineers and 500,000 semiconductor industry workers by 2030, Dung noted.

The government also aims to develop a national network of semiconductor research, design, and fabrication centers in Hanoi, Danang and HCMC that will become operational by 2025 at the latest, he added.

He said such a network will create an environment for researching, designing, and making concept chips, serve as incubators for startups in the semiconductor industry, and create skilled manpower resources.

The deputy minister noted that Vietnam already boasts strategic relations with countries that are chip-making powerhouses, which will stand the country in good stead for developing the semiconductor industry, a task that requires global cooperation.

Vietnam will give priority to developing legacy chips (of 28 nanometers or above) that will be applied in the Internet of Things (IoT) and electronic equipment, he said.

The same day, the municipal administration announced the establishment of the Danang Semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Training (DSAC), making the central city the first locality in Vietnam to have such a facility.

The center will advise municipal authorities on building and implementing a project on microchips, semiconductors and AI development. It will facilitate cooperation between Danang and domestic and foreign partners in these areas.

The city also aims to have its second software park become operational in the second quarter this year, officials said.