Minister of Science and Technology Vũ Hải Quân (right) meets Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon. — Photo mst.gov.vn

HÀ NỘI — Qualcomm has proposed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be signed with Việt Nam to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, data centres and commercial technology products, as the US chipmaker seeks to make the country one of its future AI hubs.

The proposal was made by Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon during a meeting with Vietnamese Minister of Science and Technology Vũ Hải Quân in Hà Nội on August 28.

Stressing that Qualcomm wishes to develop Việt Nam into one of the group's future AI centres, Amon outlined two key areas for cooperation.

The first is to encourage Vietnamese technology companies to expand their production and research and development capabilities in semiconductors, AI and data centres so that they can work with Qualcomm to develop and manufacture technology products for global markets.

The second is to strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese universities and research institutes to promote the use of Qualcomm's open-source AI platform, with the aim of developing and manufacturing commercially viable technology products.

The research, development and commercialisation of technology should be built around close links among businesses, universities and research institutes, he said, stressing that Qualcomm wants to strengthen such cooperation in Việt Nam.

He cited Qualcomm's cooperation with the Republic of Korea (RoK) on research and deployment of CDMA mobile technology as an example, saying the partnership has contributed to the development of the RoK's high-tech sector and helped local companies improve their technological capabilities and expand internationally.

The proposed MOU is expected to provide a solid framework to enhance cooperation, Amon said.

Welcoming the proposals, Quân said that the cooperation is in line with Việt Nam's strategy to develop high technology, AI and semiconductors while helping create more opportunities for Vietnamese businesses, universities and research institutes to participate more deeply in global technology value chains.

Quân said that the Ministry of Science and Technology will work closely with Qualcomm to soon translate the discussions into a specific cooperation document to provide a basis for research and development programmes, talent training and support for Vietnamese technology companies.

The proposed cooperation comes as Việt Nam is seeking to move beyond its role as a major electronics manufacturing base and capture a larger share of higher value in the global technology supply chain.

Experts said if Việt Nam can make effective use of opportunities to cooperate with leading technology groups while investing heavily in talent, R&D and domestic technology companies, the country can gradually move from participating in global supply chains to playing a role in creating and upgrading technology value chains. — VNS