The National Innovation Center (NIC) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment has just announced that on September 18, in Sunnyvale, California, USA, Dr. Robert Li, Vice President of Synopsys in charge of business in Taiwan and South Asia and NIC Deputy Director Vo Xuan Hoai signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in developing talented human resources for microchip design in Vietnam.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung and other Vietnamese leaders during their visit to Synopsys headquarters.

Currently, NIC is building the infrastructure for the IC design incubation center at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, Hanoi, including Synopsys' advanced technologies in prototyping and simulation to optimize software and synchronize hardware SoC (system on chip) design.

The newly signed partnership with Synopsys aims to train a high-quality IC design workforce and facilitate the chip design startup community in Vietnam. This partnership also supports the Vietnamese Government's strategy to develop IC design human resources and foster the startup community.

Specifically, Synopsys will provide training licenses, including curriculum, educational resources, and a “Train the Trainer” program to NIC to help establish a chip design incubation center. NIC will invest in IT simulation and prototyping infrastructure to establish the incubation center, which is expected to be operational in the near future.

NIC also said that in his speech at the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung affirmed that Vietnam has enough capacity to develop the semiconductor industry and a stable political system and favorable geographical location.

The Vietnamese Government, especially Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, is very interested in promoting investment cooperation and developing the semiconductor industry in Vietnam; has assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Information and Communications and other ministries and sectors to develop an action program to develop this industry in Vietnam, and develop a human resource development project with the goal of forming a team of 50,000 engineers for this industry by 2030.

“The cooperation between NIC and Synopsys will contribute to the development of human resources and businesses in semiconductor chip design and development in Vietnam, as well as strengthen the relationship between Vietnam and the United States in enhancing the capacity of the innovation ecosystem and the semiconductor industry,” said Minister Nguyen Chi Dung.

“Synopsys is renowned for its industry-leading semiconductor design software, IP, and software security solutions. The partnership to establish an NIC IC design incubation center in Vietnam can benefit from the company’s world-class design technology by training our future chip designers in the latest industry trends. The partnership can also help facilitate the development of Vietnam’s semiconductor industry,” said Vo Xuan Hoai, Deputy Director of NIC .

Mr. Robert Li, Vice President of Synopsys, expects that the cooperation with NIC will not only bring new technologies to the group's partners in Vietnam but also nurture young talents and help promote the development of Vietnam's semiconductor industry.

“The successful development of the semiconductor industry requires teamwork and cooperation between the government, technology universities, research institutes, and entrepreneurs. Synopsys will work closely with NIC to help strengthen the development of the semiconductor industry and enhance its leadership position in the region,” said Robert Li.

NIC was established by the Prime Minister in October 2019 with the mission of supporting and developing Vietnam's innovation ecosystem in high-tech fields, including the semiconductor industry, contributing to the country's growth model based on science and technology.

Previously, in August 2022, Synopsys and the Management Board of Ho Chi Minh City Hi-Tech Park signed a cooperation agreement to establish a model of the High-Tech Park Microchip Design Training Center. Based on this agreement, from October of the same year, the High-Tech Park Microchip Design Training Center (SCDC) began operating.

Most recently, in early September 2023, SCDC merged with the International Electronics Training Center (IETC) to form the Electronics and Semiconductor Training Center (ESC).

Thereby, creating a complete training ecosystem at Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park, directly contributing to improving the quality of human resources for two priority development stages of Vietnam: microchip design and microchip application.

The Government is committed to developing a strong electronics industry to create strong demand for the development of the semiconductor industry because this is an investment for the future, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized.