FPT Semiconductor's products on display at an exhibition. — Photo fpt-semiconductor.com

HÀ NỘI — Politburo's Resolution 57-NQ/TW is creating new opportunities to deepen semiconductor cooperation with Japan, as the two countries expand collaboration in chip design, research, workforce development and supply chain integration to support the growth of strategic technologies.

The resolution calls for breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation, allowing for the rapid adoption of semiconductor-related business deals between Vietnamese and Japanese firms.

Lâm Hữu Hùng, head of Semiconductor Design Solutions and Business Development Expert for the Japanese market at FPT Semiconductor, told Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Japan that the East Asian country is pursuing an ambitious strategy to restore its position as a global semiconductor leader while strengthening long-term economic security.

According to Hùng, the strategy is built around three priorities.

The first is restoring Japan's leadership in advanced chip design and manufacturing through projects such as Rapidus, which is commercialising two-nanometre semiconductor technology while conducting research on next-generation 1.4nm chips.

He noted that the Japanese government plans to invest more than 370 trillion yen (US$2.34 trillion) over a 14-year period ending in March 2041, with 101.6 trillion yen ($644 billion) allocated to artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors.

Another priority is strengthening supply chain security by attracting leading global technology companies to invest in manufacturing and research and development, while expanding cooperation with the US and Europe to build a more resilient semiconductor ecosystem.

The third focuses on developing personnel and promoting innovation through support for start-ups and universities. 

Hùng said Japan has been strengthening cooperation between semiconductor corporations, Japanese universities and their Vietnamese counterparts to expand opportunities for academic exchanges, workforce training and technology investment.

"Over the past year, FPT has signed cooperation agreements with a number of Japanese partners to jointly develop high-quality semiconductor talent and implement strategic cooperation projects," he said.

Based on FPT's experience working with Japanese enterprises over the past two years, Hùng said cooperation demand has expanded beyond chip design to include testing, packaging and technical workforce development.

He added that the Việt Nam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Việt Nam's growing engineering workforce have created favourable conditions for domestic enterprises to access advanced technologies and gradually move into higher value-added stages of the global semiconductor supply chain.

One of the latest cooperation initiatives involves five joint semiconductor research projects connecting leading universities in Việt Nam and Japan under the NEXUS programme.

According to Hùng, the projects focus on semiconductor materials, integrated circuit design and semiconductor manufacturing technologies.

He said the research programmes would help improve both workforce quality and research capacity by giving Vietnamese students, researchers and lecturers direct access to Japan's research facilities, methodologies and working environment. 

Hùng added that Vietnamese enterprises would gain earlier access to research results and participate in commercialising new technologies, helping shorten the journey from the laboratory to the market.

Looking further ahead, he said research on semiconductor materials, manufacturing technologies and packaging would strengthen Việt Nam's capabilities in outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing, an increasingly important segment of the semiconductor value chain.

FPT has also reached a significant commercial milestone by exporting its first commercial semiconductor chips to Japan and signing an agreement to distribute 10 million chips designed by the company between 2026 and 2028.

Hùng described the achievement as particularly meaningful given Japan's reputation as one of the world's most demanding markets for product quality.

Việt Nam's competitiveness in the Japanese market is supported by several factors, including cost advantages combined with quality, comprehensive customer support from specification and design to testing and after-sales services, long-term partnerships built through years of software cooperation and favourable geopolitical conditions underpinned by the Việt Nam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and supportive Government policies.

He said these advantages have enabled Vietnamese semiconductor enterprises to strengthen their position in one of the world's most competitive technology markets while expanding opportunities for future cooperation between businesses in both countries. — BIZHUB/VNS