Vietnam's semiconductor industry faces a 'once in a century' opportunity

The change of Vietnam's semiconductor industry

Over the past 20 years, Vietnam's microchip design industry has developed very rapidly. According to Dr. Le Quang Dam, after US President Joe Biden's visit to Vietnam in September 2023, the driving force to promote high-tech cooperation between the two countries is very large, mainly in the semiconductor industry .

CEO Marvell Technology estimates that by 2025, Vietnam will have about 60 companies in the field of microchip design. However, the distribution of companies is uneven, with 85% of businesses headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, the Central region, especially Da Nang, along with the capital Hanoi, has a human resource development rate of 3% to 30%.

asdsa Dr. Le Quang Dam at the Global Vietnam Innovation Forum. Photo: Ngo Vinh

Compared to 2000, Vietnam had only about 30 engineers in the design field. But in just 5 years, from 2005 to 2010, the number of semiconductor engineers in Vietnam increased rapidly. It is forecasted that by 2025, Vietnam will have about 6,000 engineers in the advanced design industry.

Dr. Le Quang Dam commented: The Vietnamese government has set a target of having 50,000 engineers in the semiconductor industry by 2030, of which 15,000 will be in the design field. This requires great investment and effort in training high-quality human resources.

Specifically, the growth in the number of engineers depends on the supply of semiconductor human resources. Marvell expects that in the current period, the growth rate can reach about 20%. The goal is to have 50,000 semiconductor industry workers by 2030, of which 35,000 are for production and 15,000 for design, corresponding to a need to meet from 1,000 to 3,000 design students per year.

Once in a lifetime opportunity

Dr. Le Quang Dam assessed that this is a “once in a century” opportunity for Vietnamese semiconductors to develop amid the complicated geopolitical conflicts. Resolution 57 has set clear development orientations and goals for science and technology, including the microchip industry.

The determination of businesses is also an important factor, especially in science and technology - a field that requires close coordination between "Government policies, university training programs and the consensus and commitment from both domestic and foreign businesses".

“Vietnam is facing a very good opportunity. This opportunity does not come by itself, we have to create it,” Mr. Le Quang Dam affirmed. “We have a clear strategy, with attention from the Government and Vietnamese or Vietnamese-origin engineers, talents in the industry or outside the industry, need to unite to create value for the country.”

Dr. Le Quang Dam was the Technical Director of Marvell Technology in Silicon Valley before returning to Vietnam in 2013 to carry out the mission of building Marvell Vietnam Office “from scratch”.

During two decades working abroad, CEO Marvell Technology Vietnam has been associated with leading names in the industry such as Miranda Technologies, Gennum, ATI Technologies, AMD, Broadcom, Marvell Technology.

Vietnamnet.vn

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