At the International Artificial Intelligence and Semiconductor Conference (AISC) held in March, Mr. Suresh Venkatarayalu - Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Honeywell Corporation shared the secret to a strategy for a business to keep up with the developments of artificial intelligence (AI) in particular and technology in general, which is to "stand side by side" with the "giants".

Honeywell, for example, has maintained a partnership with Microsoft for the past 6-7 years. Recently, the company expanded to Google to take advantage of its powerful AI platform.

Integrating these technologies not only helps companies accelerate the deployment of AI solutions, but also contributes to creating smarter automation systems that serve many industries.

Vietnam is currently one of the countries with the fastest growing digital economy in Southeast Asia, with a strategic geopolitical position, an abundant young workforce that is knowledgeable about technology, increasingly modern infrastructure investment, and attracting more and more large technology corporations in the world, especially in the field of semiconductor industry and artificial intelligence such as Nvidia, Meta, Intel...

We have many advantages, many "giants' roles" to take advantage of: from FDI capital flows to global knowledge networks. But to go further, we need to know where we stand, what bottlenecks need to be removed, and what are the key industries to break through.

According to experts, to realize this aspiration, Vietnam must thoroughly review its current position, clearly identify bottlenecks that are holding back development, and select key areas to focus on.

Over the past two decades, Vietnam has made great strides in a number of key industries. The information and telecommunications technology (ICT) sector is a typical example with a young, dynamic workforce and competitive costs; Vietnam has emerged as an attractive destination for software exports.

Also at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Semiconductors (AISC), Mr. Truong Gia Binh - Chairman of FPT Corporation, emphasized: Vietnam has a strategic position in building partnerships on AI and semiconductors.

The rapid development of the technology industry here has attracted the attention of many large corporations in the world. This creates economic development opportunities, while helping Vietnam gradually assert its position on the global technology map.

One of the notable points that Mr. Truong Gia Binh mentioned was the strong development of technology infrastructure in Vietnam. He emphasized that large investments in mid-range and high-end computing infrastructure have helped Vietnam become one of the countries with the most advanced AI infrastructure in the region.

This is an important factor that will help promote the development of the AI ​​and semiconductor industries in the future.

According to IDC's Spotlight report, FPT has risen to 48th place in the ranking of AI research centers in the world, affirming its serious investment and pioneering position in the field of artificial intelligence.

However, in the previous part of this series, experts analyzed and recognized that Vietnam is at an important stage in the process of technological development. However, this development is currently uneven, as core technology industries with the potential to create major breakthroughs in the digital age such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) in Vietnam are still in their infancy.

To take advantage of global leverage and avoid falling behind, Vietnam needs to choose the right fields that have spillover effects and shape the future.

Associate Professor Dr. Ta Hai Tung, Principal of the School of Information and Communication Technology (Hanoi University of Science and Technology) assessed that over the past 20 years, Vietnam has integrated more strongly and deeply, participating in the global value chain and supply chain, and at the present time, if we do not master strategic technology and core technology; the country's development will be affected, and it will be difficult for us to escape the middle-income trap.

"Mastering leading technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) plays a key role in helping Vietnam escape the middle-income trap," he said.

This is not only timely but also shows a long-term vision. In an era where AI is gradually permeating all areas of economic and social life; proactively researching, developing and applying AI not only helps improve labor productivity, but also creates products and services with high added value.

At the same time, this advanced technology also opens up opportunities to affirm Vietnam's position on the world technology map.

"Vietnam's current advantage is that we are not too far behind the AI ​​powerhouses, especially in the context of large language models with open source code opening up new potential directions," Associate Professor Dr. Ta Hai Tung assessed.

However, according to him, to come up with a list of strategic technologies requires in-depth and elaborate research, which must take into account traditional strengths, internal human resources, future potential, based on a deep understanding of the value chain, global supply chain, geopolitical risks, as well as future trends in science and technology development.

There are technologies that we need to master because they bring immediate commercial advantages, but there are also technologies that may not have a high commercial factor at the present time, but are part of the strategy to build a foundation for long-term development, as well as contribute to technological autonomy for the country, especially in the complicated world political situation.

According to Professor Dr. Le Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Council of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Vietnam needs to orient the development of specialized chips and participate in the global supply chain.

"Currently, we can focus on mid-range specialized chips (for example, Viettel develops 28-150nm telecommunications chips), while high-end phone chips (3-5nm, approximately 20 billion transistors) require huge investments. Vietnam is not yet capable of being completely self-sufficient but can participate in certain stages," Professor Tuan shared in the discussion "Special policies for developing national strategic technology", taking place in mid-April.

According to him, Vietnam needs some strategic technologies such as:

Automation and Robotics Technology: for application in smart manufacturing, logistics, urban sanitation, and epidemic prevention. Especially at a time when the need to automate existing factories in Vietnam is very large.

New Materials and Clean Energy Technology: Applications in green transportation development, sustainable construction infrastructure, energy saving. This is an area that Vietnam can participate in.

Dual-use Technology: It is necessary to promote the development of technologies that serve both the socio-economic and national defense and security. Vietnam has strengths and capabilities in the defense industry such as developing space technology and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Biotechnology and Biomedicine: Serving preventive medicine, vaccine production, pharmaceuticals, urban health management.

Agricultural Technology: Development of high-tech plant and animal varieties that can complement biotechnology.

"Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the ability to change the foundation, towards smarter robots. Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain technology must be considered and applied in land management, public administration, and transparency of public finance," said Professor Tuan.

In particular, Cyber ​​Security and Information Security technology is extremely important to ensure data and information system safety in the upcoming comprehensive digital transformation process.

Sharing his perspective, Professor Nguyen Thanh Thuy, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Information Technology, assessed that Vietnam's technology industry has been taking advantage of world achievements to develop rapidly, instead of having to build from scratch in many areas of information technology and innovation.

First, the use of open source platforms and advanced technologies. Vietnam has taken advantage of open source technologies and available platforms from large technology corporations.

Artificial Intelligence: Vietnamese technology companies such as VinAI, FPT AI or BKAI are applying AI models such as OpenAI's GPT, BERT, Google's Transformer, DeepSeek, etc. to develop chatbots, analyze data and process Vietnamese natural language.

Cloud computing: Businesses use AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure to reduce infrastructure costs and accelerate product development.

Blockchain: Many Vietnamese startups have developed successful blockchain projects, such as Axie Infinity, KardiaChain, Coin98, leveraging Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain instead of having to create blockchain from scratch.

Second, learn from the models and product strategies of foreign technology corporations such as:

E-commerce: Shopee, Tiki, Lazada platforms have absorbed and learned from Amazon (USA) and Alibaba (China) approaches; at the same time, applying AI and Big Data technology to optimize customer experience.

Smart transportation: Grab, Be, Gojek in Vietnam have developed based on the Uber model, combining AI to optimize routes and connect drivers.

Digital Finance (Fintech): E-wallets such as Momo, ZaloPay learn from Alipay, WeChat Pay, combining blockchain and AI to improve transaction security...

He assessed that Vietnam can learn many valuable lessons from countries such as South Korea, Israel and Singapore. They have successfully leveraged global knowledge to develop technology, create breakthrough innovations and improve competitiveness.

"South Korea has successfully shifted from outsourcing to creating global brands. Israel has become a start-up nation by focusing on military and security technology. Singapore has become a financial and technology center thanks to its strategy of attracting foreign investment and building a solid digital infrastructure," said Professor Nguyen Thanh Thuy.

From there, he believes that Vietnam can refer to 6 specific lessons: Invest heavily in research and development; Learn technology & successful models from the world, then improve according to Vietnam's needs; The government needs to have strong support policies for technology businesses & startups; Attract & train high-tech human resources, connect with international talents; Build an innovation ecosystem, create conditions for technology startups to develop; Apply technology to promote digital transformation & develop the digital economy.

Thus, experts highly agree on the point of view: The industry groups that need to be focused on investment and strongly promoted include:

Semiconductors: This is not only the foundation industry of the 4.0 industrial revolution, but also the "physical infrastructure" for all technological advances.

AI and core technology: A catalyst to drive every industry, from healthcare, education to manufacturing...

For Vietnam to truly transform strongly in science and technology, it requires the combination of many factors, in which the core is close cooperation between the State, enterprises, research institutes and universities.

Associate Professor Dr. Pham Hai Tung assessed that the close connection between the above three factors is very important to make Vietnam an attractive destination for foreign investors.

"Recent institutional changes such as Resolution 57 of the Politburo or Resolution 193 of the National Assembly have brought new momentum and vitality to training, scientific research and innovation activities. This clearly shows that the Party and State are determined to develop this field, typically increasing investment costs for scientific and technological research to at least 3% of the total annual budget expenditure," he said.

According to him, Resolution 57 has made very breakthrough policy solutions such as accepting risks in scientific research, providing funding for scientific research according to the fund mechanism, exempting personal income tax for scientists conducting research topics, and handing over assets resulting from research topics to the host units...

Along with that is strong investment in human resource training to develop science and technology in strategic fields - especially those fields that Vietnam must master to ensure sustainable socio-economic development and ensure national security and defense.

"In addition to the support of the State, the solution to promote and enhance the value of universities and research institutes in developing science and technology also requires the close cooperation of businesses.

Enterprises are not only considered as places to absorb human resources from universities and research output, but also play an important role in verifying the quality of training and research of universities," Associate Professor Ta Hai Tung stated.

Therefore, there needs to be close cooperation when businesses will put forward topics, human resource development requirements and science and technology requirements according to socio-economic development. And universities will have to meet the requirements.

At the same time, businesses should directly participate in the training and research process of universities, instead of just waiting to receive output or recruit graduates.

"This cooperation brings practical benefits to businesses themselves, helping them to have high-quality human resources according to their needs through joint support in building training programs, directly participating in training, especially in supporting internship programs, business experiences, investing in facilities, laboratories, as well as sponsoring research scholarships for students.

"Enterprises that are at the forefront of research cooperation with universities also have the opportunity to master strategic and core technologies, thereby creating new products and enhancing their competitiveness in the market," Mr. Tung added.

It can be seen that taking advantage of the "giant's role" is necessary, but Vietnam must walk on its own two strong feet.

No country can develop by leaps and bounds if it simply follows behind. “Standing on the shoulders of giants” does not mean taking shortcuts, but rather knowing how to take advantage of global knowledge, technology, and capital flows to make breakthroughs in its own way.

Vietnam has businesses that compete fairly in the international arena, firmly on the development journey, based on knowledge and technology.

Next: Pioneering businesses - Internal motivation

Content: Bao Trung, Nam Doan, The Anh

Design: Thuy Tien

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/dung-tren-vai-nguoi-khong-lo-viet-nam-nham-den-cong-nghe-chien-luoc-nao-cho-buoc-nhay-vot-20250427221622558.htm