[HO CHI MINH CITY] Qualcomm launched its AI (AI) Research and Development (R&D) Centre in Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, on Tuesday (June 10th).
The US giant wants to develop a new facility as the third largest R&D centre behind the people of India and Ireland. Jilei Hou, vice president of engineering at Qualcomm Technologies, spoke with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung.
The company has already operated an R&D center in Hanoi since 2020, amid a network of multiple R&D operations outside its headquarters in San Diego, California.
The new centre aims to leverage the large talent pool in Southeast Asia to develop Generated AI (Genai) and Agent AI solutions that apply to a variety of sectors, including smartphones, personal computers, augmented reality (XR) technology, automobiles, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
“This is also a clear evidence of deepening a comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the US,” said Le Xuan Dinh, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, who appeared at the event on Tuesday morning.
In April, Qualcomm privately completed the acquisition of Movianai, a Genai subsidiary of Vietnam's private conglomerate Vingroup. Founded in 2024, Movianai is Vinai's former Vinai division and another company of Vingroup Ecosystem.
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Last December, US chipmaker Nvidia announced plans to acquire Vingroup's affiliate company Vinbrain and open an R&D centre in Vietnam to enhance AI development without providing details.
These moves will attract global giants to set up global tech facilities and projects in line with Vietnam's strategy. Its investment support fund offers government subsidies covering up to 50% of the initial investment costs for the establishment of a semiconductor and AI-focused R&D centre in Vietnam.
Domestic conglomerates are fueling AI races through the establishment of various new high-tech hubs.
In March, Vietnam's homegrown technology champion FPT Group launched its R&D centre at its newly opened Software Park No. 2 in Da Nang's central city, focusing on AI and semiconductors. The Hub brings together 500 technology experts and aims to develop at least 10 new products each year for the software and communications giants.
On June 1st, FPT's Archrival CMC Corporation also broke the ground at Hanoi's CMC Creative Space, the second place in the chain, behind Ho Chi Minh City's first. The new US$300 million office complex is designed to be an open AI center covering data centers, R&D spaces, training areas and startup incubation zones for over 5,000 technology engineers.
