Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest economic hub, has tasked its Department of Science and Technology with drafting a plan to develop the semiconductor industry, including support for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in establishing a research and development (R&D) center in the city.
This request is part of the municipality’s recently-announced plan to advance the semiconductor sector and develop its workforce in 2026. A key objective is to attract four foreign direct investment (FDI) projects this year, building on the city’s collaboration with AMD, Nvidia, and Qualcomm.
The city also aims to enroll 3,000 students in graduate programs, 300 in master’s programs, and 40 in doctoral programs, while graduating at least 1,400 bachelor’s degree holders, 110 master’s graduates, and six PhD holders.
Regarding cooperation with AMD, the municipal Department of Science and Technology is required to submit the plan within the first quarter of the year, in line with the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between AMD and the city in June 2025. The MoU sets a target of training at least 9,000 highly skilled talents by 2030, facilitating AMD’s establishment of an R&D center with a priority on recruiting Vietnamese staff, and promoting the use of AMD solutions in municipal agencies.
Ho Chi Minh City also plans to collaborate with AMD to implement a regulatory sandbox for data centers and digital infrastructure. In addition, the city will encourage AMD to participate in public tenders for smart city projects in areas such as education, healthcare, big data centers, and digital infrastructure.
AMD is also expected to provide training programs in artificial intelligence and integrated circuit design, leveraging its infrastructure for students in Ho Chi Minh City.