Specialised chips directly linked to technological self-reliance

Specialised semiconductor chips are designed to solve specific problems rather than serve general-purpose applications.

According to Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the National Centre for Semiconductor Chip Pilot Production Support under the Ministry of Science and Technology, developing specialised semiconductor chips is a suitable pathway for leveraging Vietnam’s strengths and gradually moving deeper into the global semiconductor value chain.

Choosing specialised chips does not mean narrowing Vietnam’s ambitions. Rather, it allows the country to focus resources on areas where it has real demand, a market, an emerging chip design workforce and a sufficiently large electronics industry to create end products.

Vietnam needs to start with practical applications such as AI cameras, IoT devices, power grids, charging stations, robots, UAVs, telecommunications, healthcare and digital identification. From there, it can determine appropriate chip architectures, manufacturing technologies, packaging solutions, testing standards and commercialisation roadmaps.

If developed successfully, specialised chips can create value at multiple levels, Tuan said.

More importantly, specialised chips are directly linked to technological self-reliance. Self-reliance does not mean doing everything domestically, but mastering critical stages such as product requirements, system architecture, design, verification, testing data and the ability to choose partners in the supply chain.

For critical systems, Vietnam needs the capacity to control designs, assess reliability, verify origins and switch suppliers when supply chains are disrupted. This provides a foundation for protecting data, maintaining essential services and safeguarding national security in the new situation.

State and businesses working together

Despite their significant potential, the gap between a chip design and a chip that can operate reliably in an end product remains substantial. Each pilot production run is costly and carries technical risks, while small orders often struggle to access packaging and testing services.

Once a chip sample is produced, businesses still need to complete software, circuit boards, reliability assessment, certification and product integration. Without a first customer, businesses find it difficult to invest, while customers are reluctant to place orders without a tested chip.

Decision No. 1018/QD-TTg issued in 2024 sets out tasks to promote the development and use of specialised chips in areas including high-tech agriculture, automation, consumer electronics and digital transformation.

The 2026 action plan of the National Steering Committee for Semiconductor Industry Development also prioritises the development and use of specialised chips and calls for at least three strategic semiconductor chip lines to be selected for a product development programme.

The Ministry of Science and Technology is finalising a dossier for submission to the Prime Minister for the issuance of a list of specialised chips in sectors and fields prioritised for State procurement. The draft comprises 20 chip groups based on demand from ministries, sectors, businesses, research institutes, universities and experts. The list will provide a basis for orienting research, generating market signals and focusing resources on products with development potential in Vietnam.

The ministry is also developing a comprehensive support programme covering research, design, pilot production, testing and evaluation of specialised chips. The mechanism will share risks at the initial stage, manage projects based on technical milestones, and encourage counterpart funding and business participation.

Public investment, digital transformation, infrastructure development and strategic technology programmes will provide markets for Vietnamese-made chips through procurement mechanisms. Alongside procurement, Vietnam will develop standards, testing laboratories, certification mechanisms and reliability assessment procedures.

The aim is to bring quality products into use rather than create a closed market or lower quality requirements. Major economic groups investing in key industries and nationally important infrastructure projects also represent a significant potential market for Vietnamese specialised chips.

Domestic technology companies have also been proactive in investing in chip manufacturing. Early in 2026, Viettel Group broke ground on Vietnam’s first high-tech semiconductor chip manufacturing plant, covering 27ha at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park. The plant is scheduled to complete construction and receive technology transfer by the end of 2027, with pilot production expected to begin in 2028.

Geleximco Group is also carrying out investment procedures for a chip manufacturing plant in Hung Yen, with groundbreaking scheduled for November 2026 and commercial production expected in early 2028.

Developing Vietnam’s semiconductor industry will undoubtedly face many challenges. But with the right direction, strong policies, close coordination between the State and businesses, and support from international partners, specialised semiconductor chips can become a high-value-added sector, strengthening technological self-reliance and helping Vietnam move further up the global semiconductor value chain./. VNA