Central hub urges investment from US partners in key industries
The central city of Da Nang has been pushing for cooperations with US partners and businesses in the development of the semiconductor and AI industries, human resources training, sea port management, research, innovation, the environment and waste management and treatment.
Chairman of the city’s people’s committee, Le Trung Chinh, who paid working visits in the US recently, urged American companies to invest in Da Nang and support the city in implementation of a series of key plans for hi-tech industries.
Chinh asked the San Jose based Supermicro company, a premier provider of advanced server building block solutions, to review possible investment in an AI data centre in Da Nang and human training in AI management.
Senior vice president of worldwide sales at Supermicro, Phidias Chou said it will consider creating a centre in Da Nang, adding that Supermicro and Sovico group from Vietnam, had already inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed during the official visit to the US by the Vietnamese Party’s Chief To Lam in September.
In a visit to wireless company Qorvo Inc, headquartered in North Carolina, Da Nang city’s leader asked them to set up representative office in the city.
Da Nang has been accelerating the completion of Software Park No 2 in order to provide working space for strategic semiconductor and AI and hi-tech industries investors.
Qorvo’s power General Manager, Jeff Strang said it would host a working team to make a survey and field visit to Da Nang in readiness to open an office and begin expert training programmes in semiconductors and chip design.
Qorvo Vietnam Inc, which has one hundred members in Vietnam, has positively participated in chip design and manufacture in the country.
Having signed a MoU with Marvell Vietnam in Da Nang in August, the central city proposed the implementation of series items in the existing deal. Marvell Vietnam opened an office in Da Nang in May to accelerate co-operation in human resources development in chip design and AI.
Loi Nguyen, executive vice president of cloud optics at Marvell, said employee numbers in Vietnam have increased by 25% and the company will be supporting them in training hi-quality human resources, as well as building a lab for semiconductor, AI and chip design studies.
Chairman of Da Nang City asked Nvidia company, the global chip maker, to continue the Deep Learning Institute University Ambassador programme in improving capability for lecturers at universities in Da Nang.
Da Nang also urged Nvidia to support start-ups, innovation and R&D programmes, as well as improving the quality and the innovation ecological system in the city.
In a working visit to ITS-Group INC and Philogix Consultant company, Da Nang offered investment opportunities in building a manufacture plant in the supply chains of semiconductor equipment at Da Nang Hi-tech Park.
A series of programmes in R&D, technology transfer in biotech and pharmaceutical industries were also discussed with the US partners in the working session.
Earlier, Da Nang City’s working group paid visits to New York and Washington DC, to talk about plans to build an international finance centre in the city.
Vice chairman of the Financial Services Volunteer Corps, Bill Mills said he highly appreciated the potential and opportunities of Da Nang in developing a financial market.
He said that Da Nang should review experiences in operating a international finance centres and offer various preferential rates for investors. The company said it would help Da Nang connect partners and businesses in finance centre development in the future.
Da Nang is hoping to get experience and learn more about management in waste-to-energy technology from Win Waste Innovations in operations of its Wheelabrator Westchester plant.
In a meeting with assistant Secretary of State and Chief of the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Carol Henniger, the chairman of Da Nang City asked for further supports and assistance from the US department of State and the International Technology Security and Innovation Fund (ITSI Fund) in cooperative activities in the semiconductor industry.
The assistant Secretary expressed her hopes for continuous cooperation between the city and Arizona State University in Assembling, Testing and Packaging (ATP).
In a discussion with USAID, Da Nang asked for implementation of co-operative fields that the two sides agreed in a MoU signed in January in environment, solid waste management, sorting waste at source and the proposal of establishment of a carbon credit office in Da Nang.
It’s the second working visit by the city to call for investment from the US, after a first successful trip in 2023.
