On March 14, a policy forum titled "Vietnam proactively develops the semiconductor and AI industries in a new era" was held at the National Innovation Center (NIC). This was a key event in the "Artificial Intelligence and Semiconductor International Conference - AISC 2025" series, co-organized by NIC and Aitomatic from the US.

Vietnam could become innovation hub

Michael Kagan, Chief Technology Officer of NVIDIA, said Vietnam is becoming an attractive destination for R&D in AI and semiconductors.

Reaffirming NVIDIA’s commitment to expanding investment in Vietnam, the CTO stated that Vietnam is truly a hub for technical talent. Thus, NVIDIA is delighted to partner with Vietnam and will continue collaborating on technology development and knowledge transfer.

"We are interested in Vietnam because we believe in the government’s ambition. We hope to realize this vision with Vietnam, committing to develop an ecosystem to jointly advance AI," he said.

Kagan believes NVIDIA’s collaboration will help Vietnam become a global hub for high-tech talent, AI, and semiconductors. "I believe Vietnam will become a regional center, rising to lead in innovation and technology development."

At the event, Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Duc Tam said Vietnam has great potential and advantages to welcome and collaborate with businesses and investors worldwide in the semiconductor and AI industries.

The Ministry of Finance will collect recommendations, reports, and proposals to the government on tasks and solutions to promote these two strategic technology sectors. The aim is to help Vietnam achieve a growth rate of 8 percent or higher, targeting double-digit growth in the coming period.

Vietnam seeks cooperation in AI, semiconductors

At the forum, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reiterated Vietnam’s stance that development must be based on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation.

According to the Prime Minister, the three pillars for developing AI and semiconductors are institutions, infrastructure, and human resources. Vietnam will create breakthroughs in the institutional mechanism with an open legal environment, eliminating 30 percent of unnecessary administrative procedures while enhancing decentralization and enforcement capacity.

Regarding infrastructure, the government will heavily invest in transportation, telecommunications, IT, digital infrastructure, and energy, ensuring no power shortages, thus reducing input costs and boosting competitiveness. For human resources, the PM stressed that training 100,000 AI and semiconductor engineers in the coming years is a key goal.

The Prime Minister called for developing an AI and semiconductor ecosystem and building R&D centers tailored to Vietnam’s practical conditions, culture, aptitude, and potential. At the same time, Vietnam will promote a startup ecosystem, especially among youth.

Chinh affirmed Vietnam’s desire for deep cooperation with international experts and businesses to develop AI and semiconductor technologies.

The head of government said Vietnam needs advice to create a feasible vision and goals, as well as feedback to refine institutions, reduce red tape, and foster a creative environment. Financial support is also a vital factor.

Regarding technology transfer, Vietnam encourages businesses to invest in R&D centers and join the global supply chain to facilitate technology transfer.

In human resources, the government hopes to collaborate with tech giants to train a high-quality workforce focused on AI, semiconductors, and emerging technologies. Vietnam also aims to build a smart governance system, ensuring safety and security, and developing virtual assistants not just for leaders but for all citizens.

The Vietnamese government commits to creating favorable conditions for investors with an open business environment, reasonable incentives, and bold administrative reforms, including a one-stop investment model to minimize costs and procedures for businesses.

According to the Prime Minister, the presence of conference delegates is valuable encouragement and support for Vietnam. This would be even better translated into specific programs and investment projects. He hoped for a relationship of "work together, benefit together, win together; what is said must be done, what is committed must be fulfilled, bringing shared benefits to all involved, making the world better and the people increasingly prosperous and happy."

Trong Dat