US tech giant Qualcomm opens AI R&D centre in Vietnam, its third largest after India, Ireland
[HO CHI MINH CITY] Qualcomm on Tuesday (Jun 10) launched its artificial intelligence (AI) research and development (R&D) centre in Vietnam's capital, Hanoi.
This is the US tech giant's third-largest R&D centre in the world, after those in India and Ireland, noted Hou Jilei, vice-president of engineering at Qualcomm Technologies, as he spoke with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung earlier in April.
The company has already been operating an R&D centre in Hanoi since 2020, among a network of its multiple research and development (R&D) operations outside its headquarters in San Diego, California.
The new centre aims to capitalise on the South-east Asian country's extensive talent pool to develop generative AI (GenAI) and agentic AI solutions applied to various sectors, including smartphones, personal computers, extended reality technologies, automobiles and Internet of Things.
Thieu Phuong Nam, country director for Qualcomm Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, said that the combination of Vietnamese talents with Qualcomm's global scale and expertise could 'strengthen Vietnam's role in the global innovation value chain'.
'This also serves as a vivid testament to the deepening comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the US,' said Le Xuan Dinh, Vietnam's deputy minister of science and technology, during his appearance at the event on Tuesday morning.
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In April, Qualcomm finalised its acquisition of MovianAI, a GenAI subsidiary of Vietnam's private conglomerate Vingroup, for an undisclosed amount. Established in 2024, MovianAI is a former division of VinAI – another firm in the Vingroup ecosystem.
Following the transaction, Dr Bui Hai Hung, former chief executive at VinAI, has joined Qualcomm to lead the AI research strategy of the local centre and contribute to shaping Qualcomm AI research at the global level.
Last December, US chipmaker Nvidia also announced its acquisition of Vingroup's affiliate firm VinBrain as well as its plan to open an R&D centre in Vietnam to bolster AI development, without providing details.
These moves align with Vietnam's strategy to attract global giants to establish high-tech facilities and projects in the country. Its Investment Support Fund offers government subsidies covering up to 50 per cent of initial investment costs for the establishment of R&D centres focused on semiconductors and AI in Vietnam.
Domestic conglomerates are also fuelling the AI race through the establishment of various new tech hubs.
In March, Vietnam's home-grown tech champion, FPT Group, launched its R&D centre at the newly opened Software Park No 2 in the central city of Da Nang, with a focus on AI and semiconductors. The hub gathers 500 technology experts and aims to develop at least 10 new products each year for the software and telecommunications giant.
On Jun 1, FPT's archrival, CMC Corporation, also broke ground on the CMC Creative Space in Hanoi – the second location in the chain after the first one in Ho Chi Minh City. The new US$300 million office complex is designed to become an open AI centre, encompassing a data centre, R&D space, training area and startup incubation zone for more than 5,000 technology engineers.
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