National semiconductor chip prototyping support center mades debut

This is Viet Nam's first national-level center dedicated to supporting semiconductor chip prototyping, serving as a bridge between domestic chip research and design needs and the global semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.

The center is tasked with coordinating chip research and design projects undertaken by research institutes, universities, enterprises, and startups.

It also helps connect these projects with wafer fabrication plants and packaging and testing service providers in Viet Nam and abroad.

In addition, the center supports prototype manufacturing through the Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) model, helping to reduce costs, shorten development time, improve opportunities for design validation, and facilitate the gradual development of "Make in Viet Nam" semiconductor chip products.

Addressing the ceremony, Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan said, the establishment of the center underscores the Government's role in enhancing connectivity and providing support so that businesses, research institutes, and universities can work together to shape the future of Viet Nam's semiconductor industry.

The center will be developed in three phases:

Phase 1 (2026–2027): The Government will cover 100 percent of pilot costs to encourage universities, research institutes, enterprises, and chip design teams to engage in semiconductor research, development, and prototype testing, while gradually building the capacity to operate the MPW model in Viet Nam.

Phase 2 (2028–2030): The center will continue to receive partial support for pilot costs while completing shared infrastructure, laboratory facilities, electronic design automation (EDA) tools, testing environments, and specialized technical services.

Phase 3 (from 2030 onward): The center aims to master advanced semiconductor technologies, expand international cooperation, and become a leading semiconductor chip pilot support center in Southeast Asia.

At the ceremony, the center signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with 19 domestic and international partners, including global technology companies across the semiconductor supply chain such as Intel, Infineon, Amkor, Cadence and Synopsys, major universities as well as Vietnamese technology companies.

The cooperation agreements focus on research, the development of high-quality human resources, support for chip design, prototyping, packaging, and testing, as well as the sharing of technical infrastructure and the exchange of expertise.

Viet Nam's semiconductor industry has made remarkable progress. In 2025, the industry generated more than US$21 billion in revenue, attracted over US$14 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) across more than 240 projects, and saw the emergence of approximately 60 integrated circuit (IC) design companies supported by a workforce of more than 7,000 semiconductor design engineers./.