Vietnam on June 26 officially launched its first national semiconductor chip prototyping center, marking a significant milestone in the country's ambition to strengthen its position in the global semiconductor value chain.
The Vietnam National Multi-Project Wafer Coordination Center (VNMPW/CC), established under the Ministry of Science and Technology, will serve as a national hub connecting domestic chip designers with the global semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.
The center adopts the Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) model, which combines multiple chip designs into a single fabrication run, significantly reducing prototyping costs and shortening product development time. The approach is expected to accelerate the development of "Make in Vietnam" semiconductor products.
The center will provide shared infrastructure covering the entire chip development process, from design verification and prototyping to packaging, testing and commercialization.
It will also supply electronic design automation (EDA) tools, support design validation, and coordinate with international semiconductor foundries, packaging and testing companies, enabling Vietnamese universities, research institutes and technology firms to access advanced manufacturing services.
Following fabrication, the center will assist developers in evaluating chip performance and connecting with government support programs and investment funds to commercialize new products. A post-silicon laboratory for chip evaluation, testing and analysis is also planned.
The center's development roadmap will be implemented in three phases. During 2026-2027, the government will fully subsidize prototyping costs to encourage participation from universities, research institutes, startups and chip design companies while establishing domestic MPW operational capabilities. Between 2028 and 2030, the center will continue receiving partial government support as it expands its shared infrastructure, laboratories, design tools and technical services. Beyond 2030, it aims to become a leading semiconductor prototyping hub in Southeast Asia.
At the launch ceremony, the center signed memoranda of understanding with 19 domestic and international partners, including global semiconductor leaders Intel, Infineon, Amkor, Cadence, Synopsys, TSMC and GlobalFoundries, alongside major Vietnamese universities and technology companies such as Viettel, FPT and VSAP Lab.
The partnerships will focus on semiconductor research, workforce development, chip design, prototyping, packaging, testing, infrastructure sharing and stronger collaboration between government agencies, academia and industry.
Google translate