Vietnamese press reported Qualcomm SVP of engineering Jilei Hou told politicians the company hopes to build a research and development facility in the nation which would be its third-largest in the world and concentrate on AI.
Hou discussed the plan with Vietnam’s deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung yesterday (16 April), VNExpress International reported.
Qualcomm already has an R&D site in Hanoi, but the fresh facility would be bested only by those in India and the Republic of Ireland in terms of scale, The Investor Vafie Magazine wrote.
The move would continue a recent focus by Qualcomm on Vietnam, coming a few weeks after it lined up an acquisition of local specialist MovianAI, the genAI unit of Vingroup company VinAI.
VNExpress International stated MovianAI was discussed during Hou’s meeting with the deputy Prime Minister, who reportedly pressed Qualcomm to ensure the business is a key player in advancing Vietnam’s AI expertise and chip production capabilities.
Progressive approach
The politician reportedly also emphasised the presence of incentive schemes covering AI and chip research, along with a training initiative targeting young Vietnamese.
Vietnam is attracting a growing number of international investors: in 2024, SpaceX was tipped to be eyeing a $15 billion investment and Ericsson secured a 5G RAN deal with Viettel Group.
Domestically, MobiFone recently became the latest operator to deploy a commercial 5G service.