An artist's impression of Samsung Việt Nam's new research and development centre in Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of Samsung

HÀ NỘI — Samsung Electronics Việt Nam on Monday started construction of its largest research and development (R&D) centre in Southeast Asia in the new town of Tây Hồ Tây in Hà Nội.

With a total investment of US$220 million, the new R&D centre will be built over 11,603sq.m of land and 79,511sq.m of floor area. The building is designed with 16 stories above ground and three below ground, and is expected to be completed in late 2022.

Besides being equipped with advanced research facilities for mobile and network technology, the new centre will be set up with a creative and friendly working environment with a fitness centre, club rooms, in-house restaurant and rooftop garden.

Upon operation, the number of employees of Samsung Việt Nam Mobile R&D Centre (SVMC), which is currently 2,200, will increase up to 3,000.

This is the first time Samsung Electronics has built its own centre specialised to serve R&D activities overseas. It is also the largest R&D centre among FDI companies in Việt Nam.

Through the construction of this centre, Samsung endeavours to help Vietnamese engineers enhance their R&D capacity in terms of not only product technology but also high technology fields such as AI, IoT, Big Data and 5G, which will create a foundation for Việt Nam to be bold amid the numerous changes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Choi Joo Ho, President of Samsung Việt Nam, said: “The construction of the new R&D Centre in Việt Nam is a strategic investment that marks a stride in Samsung's investment history in Việt Nam. This will be the site that helps us fulfil our promise of developing Việt Nam's science and technology through nurturing excellent engineers in the field of high technology.”

Currently, the total investment of Samsung Group in Việt Nam is more than $17 billion, of which Samsung Electronics accounts for $9.5 billion with the first presence of a mobile phone factory in Bắc Ninh Province in 2008, followed by the second factory in Thái Nguyên Province; complex of televisions and home appliances production in HCM City and SVMC.

The new R&D centre shows Samsung's highest commitment to investment in Việt Nam, which has lasted for the past 12 years, making Việt Nam not only a large-scale production base for Samsung, but also an important strategic base in R&D. — VNS