Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City management board for export-processing zones and industrial parks (HEPZA) has asked the municipality to review and unify power-price guidance for an AI data center at Tan Phu Trung Industrial Park.

The HEPZA made the request at the municipality’s nine-month economic review on Thursday. The board said the electricity bills could directly affect the project’s financial plan, operating efficiency, and timetable.

The board emphasized the project is a large technology investment whose financial model depends on the tariff applicable to it. The request is part of a wider push to attract high-tech investment in HCMC.

Prior to the request, in September, two of Vietnam’s largest data-center operators, CMC and Viettel, have asked ministries to clarify a dispute over electricity pricing.

The data center was announced in March 2026. Hong Kong-based Accelerated Infrastructure Capital (AIC) will build a $2.1 billion AI data center, in collaboration with KinhBac City Development Holding Corporation (KBC), a major industrial real estate developer in Vietnam.

The first phase of the project will develop an AI facility of up to 50MW, equivalent to 28,000 graphics processing units (GPUs).

The dispute is related to EVN HCMC, the Ho Chi Minh City unit of state utility EVN, re-classifying the data center operators for “business” pricing.

CMC and Viettel argued that the power runs only technical systems, such as servers, storage, data processing and cooling, and should pay “manufacturing” rate.

“Business” pricing for electricity is higher than that for “manufacturing” pricing.

Vietnam’s data center operator CMC, Viettel petition ministry over power pricing after cutoff threat