At HEF 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City, where policymakers and global experts gathered under the theme “green transition in the digital era,” CMC Technology Group drew significant attention. The Group introduced its open AI technology ecosystem, C-OpenAI, and proposed a comprehensive AI Transformation Framework tailored specifically to Ho Chi Minh City. CMC also participated in a high-level dialogue on building smart governance.

A standout private technology enterprise at the forum

HEF 2025, jointly organized by Ho Chi Minh City and international partners, is positioned as a global forum to address the dual transition - green and digital. In his opening speech, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that green transformation in the digital age is a strategic imperative for Vietnam. Development policies, he stressed, must be people- and business-centric, and must not sacrifice environmental or social security for quantitative growth.

Within this context, CMC - one of Vietnam’s leading private technology companies and a co-founder of the Vietnam Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Vietnam C4IR) - presented its “AI-first” approach for modern urban development. The company showcased a suite of “Make in Vietnam” AI products designed to power smart cities and smart governments.

C-OpenAI ecosystem and solutions for smart cities

In the exhibition area, CMC introduced key offerings from its C-OpenAI open technology ecosystem, which encompasses 25 core technologies. A highlight was the CMC AI Camera solution, with over 85% of its technology - ranging from hardware to software and computer vision - developed in-house. The solution supports traffic control, urban security, fire monitoring, and building management by identifying abnormal behavior.

In the field of green energy, CMC showcased its C-Energy smart charging station, a 30 kW modular system built on the CCS2 standard. It has already been deployed at the Thai Son Driving School (Ministry of National Defence) and Terminal T1 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, with plans for expansion into parking facilities, residential zones, and shopping centers in Ho Chi Minh City.

In cybersecurity, the 24/7 CMC Security Operations Center (CMC SOC) uses AI and big data analytics to detect and prevent cyber threats, safeguarding digital infrastructure for state agencies, banks, and businesses.

CMC also displayed its CLS legal AI assistant, which analyzes legal documents to identify overlapping regulations and facilitates legal information searches - supporting the development of a rule-of-law state. Meanwhile, the C-AIOFFICE platform helps agencies and businesses build smart workplaces, using AI for drafting, summarizing reports, and workflow coordination.

Running on a unified C-OpenAI platform and backed by CMC’s cloud and data center infrastructure, these solutions form an integrated toolbox for smart cities - covering transportation, healthcare, energy, security, and public administration.

Proposing an AI Transformation Framework for Ho Chi Minh City

Beyond product demonstrations, CMC proposed a dedicated AI Transformation Framework for Ho Chi Minh City. The model follows a “5 pillars – 2 enabling layers – 1 assurance layer” structure.

The five core pillars include:

Infrastructure: high-performance computing, cloud services, data centers, and edge computing platforms.

Data: shared data warehouses, sector-specific datasets, IoT sensor data, real-time data flows, and a phased open data strategy.

AI technology: foundation models, algorithm libraries, and toolkits for development, deployment, and monitoring.

AI applications: AI-based solutions for public services, healthcare, logistics, education, and socioeconomic management, aligned with city priorities.

AI innovation ecosystem: a network linking universities, R&D institutes, startups, innovation funds, and enterprises.

The two enabling layers are:

Policy and standards: regulatory sandboxes, legal frameworks for AI, data and algorithm standards, and certification mechanisms.

Resources: state funding, public–private partnerships, venture capital, and international collaboration.

The assurance layer is governance, built on principles of data security, AI ethics, transparency, and algorithmic accountability.

Chairman Nguyen Trung Chinh of CMC Group explained that following its 2024 introduction of the AI-X strategy and AI Transformation Framework for enterprises, CMC has now tailored the framework for Ho Chi Minh City. The proposal aligns with the city's focus on developing high-performance computing infrastructure, hyperscale data centers, urban data platforms, AI application clusters for traffic and healthcare, and support for AI startups.

CMC plans to work closely with Vietnam C4IR to present the framework to city authorities for approval and implementation.

Dialogue on smart government: the need for clearer enterprise mechanisms

Within the HEF 2025 program, Mr. Dang Van Tu - CMC Group’s Senior Vice President/Chief Technology Officer and CEO of CMC OpenAI - joined the panel “Smart Government in the Digital Era.” The session examined international experiences and public–private partnerships in urban governance.

Topics included lessons from Singapore and Australia, smart government design, digital service delivery, and post-merger governance challenges. The discussion, moderated by Professor Nguyen Quang Trung of RMIT University Vietnam, featured Ho Chi Minh City Digital Transformation Center Director Vo Thi Trung Trinh, Dang Van Tu, and international experts.

Responding to a question about enterprise participation in public digital projects, Mr. Tu highlighted opportunities created by multi-party cooperation models and national digital transformation programs. These frameworks allow private companies like CMC to test new technologies and deploy them at scale for government partners.

However, he also cited three key challenges: complex project approval and payment procedures; fragmented systems and databases across ministries and provinces; and policy processes that still need to be simplified and harmonized to encourage long-term private investment in public infrastructure.

Accompanying Ho Chi Minh City on its green-digital journey

From its technological innovations to its strategic policy proposals, CMC has affirmed its pioneering role in supporting Ho Chi Minh City’s goal of becoming a smart and sustainable metropolis.

Chairman Nguyen Trung Chinh stated that CMC will continue to partner with Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam C4IR to translate the AI Transformation Framework into real-world programs and initiatives - contributing to the city’s transformation into a safe, dynamic, and globally competitive smart megacity.

PV