Qualcomm eyes Vietnam as a major global AI R&D hub for future growth

Cristiano Amon, President and Chief Executive Officer of Qualcomm Incorporated, made the statement during his meeting with To Lam, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in Hanoi on August 27.

Vietnam is becoming an increasingly important market and technology hub for Qualcomm in Asia, with the company looking to strengthen its research and development activities in the country, he told his host.

Amon said the company is stepping up its development of emerging technologies, particularly AI, semiconductors and connected computing, while continuing to expand R&D activities in Vietnam.

The company has invested more than US$100 billion in R&D globally and wants to leverage its core technologies, research network and international partner ecosystem to expand cooperation in Vietnam.

Qualcomm also wants to strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese agencies, businesses, research institutes and universities in research, high-quality talent development, technology transfer and next-generation technology, contributing to the development of Vietnam’s AI, semiconductor and innovation ecosystems.

Amon praised Vietnam’s strong policies and determination to promote science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and a knowledge-based economy, saying the country’s recent development achievements are increasing its attractiveness to the international technology community.

In his view, Vietnam has the potential to become an increasingly important regional hub for high-tech manufacturing, research, innovation and the digital economy.

For his part, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam said Vietnam views the expansion of technology cooperation with US companies such as Qualcomm in the broader context of its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the United States. He affirmed that Vietnam considers the US one of its leading strategic partners and wants to work with the US to further deepen the partnership in a substantive, comprehensive and effective manner.

Welcoming the company’s long-term investment, the top leader expressed Vietnam’s desire for deeper engagement not only in business activities but also in research, technology development and talent training.

He praised Qualcomm’s more than 20 years of operations in Vietnam, including the establishment of its R&D centre in Hanoi and cooperation with domestic technology companies such as Viettel and VinSmart.

Vietnam hopes Qualcomm will continue expanding investment in areas where it has strong capabilities, including AI, semiconductors, robotics, 5G/6G, data centers and next-generation connectivity technologies, he said.

The country also wants the company to strengthen technology transfer, share management experience and expand cooperation with domestic businesses, universities and research institutions.

A key objective is to help Vietnamese companies strengthen their technological capabilities and participate more deeply in global technology value chains and supply chains, the leader told his guest.

This direction is consistent with Vietnam’s emerging development model, in which science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and AI are seen as important growth drivers, while investment attraction is increasingly linked to technology transfer and high-quality human-resource development.

Qualcomm opens Hanoi R&D Centre to expand semiconductor, AI operations in VN

US chipmaker Qualcomm on May 12 opened a new research and development centre in Hanoi, marking a new milestone in its long-term commitment to Vietnam’s growing technology ecosystem.