Asia's 1st applied AI Center of Excellence to be established in Ho Chi Minh City

The plan was announced in Silicon Valley, California, during the Plug and Play Silicon Valley November Summit 2026, which brought together more than 3,000 international AI experts, tech entrepreneurs, investment funds and academics.

Global innovation platform Plug and Play, the Startup and Innovation Hub of Ho Chi Minh City and the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City are actively working to establish the Applied AI Center of Excellence (AI COE), the first of its kind in Asia, in Ho Chi Minh City.

Bringing AI from laboratories to marketplace

Unlike institutes and centers focused primarily on theoretical research, the AI COE model is designed to address real-world business challenges and integrate AI solutions into manufacturing, business operations and urban management.

The center will operate under a three-party cooperation model. The Startup and Innovation Hub of Ho Chi Minh City will serve as the coordinating body, connecting the city's innovation ecosystem.

The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City will contribute interdisciplinary education, in-depth research and highly skilled human resources, while Plug and Play will provide access to its global network of investment funds, corporate partners and internationally recognized startup acceleration programs.

The partnership aims to significantly shorten the process from identifying challenges and researching and testing solutions to commercialization, fundraising and scaling up.

At the announcement ceremony of the AI COE plan, Saeed Amidi, founder and CEO of Plug and Play, praised Ho Chi Minh City's position, citing its dynamic economy, abundant young workforce and strong spirit of innovation.

He highlighted opportunities to help Vietnamese technology startups access international markets and investment capital, enabling them to develop into high-growth companies.

Learning from Silicon Valley

To develop a viable model, the partners are drawing on Plug and Play's experience with applied AI centers affiliated with universities in the United States.

One example is the AI center at San Jose State University, which has successfully connected urban challenges with startups and supported around 30 startups in its first year.

Another case is startup Atomic Canyon, which successfully secured a contract worth US$3.4 million per year with energy company PG&E.

Speaking about the partnership, Associate Professor Dr. Bui Quang Hung, president of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, affirmed the university's commitment to leveraging its strengths in interdisciplinary education and research across economics, technology and digital design.

The university will work closely with the Startup and Innovation Hub of Ho Chi Minh City and Plug and Play to ensure the effective operation of the AI COE and create the most favorable conditions for attracting venture capital funds and international businesses to implement projects in Vietnam, he said.

A representative of the Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco also noted that, with an estimated contribution of around 20 percent of the country's GDP and Vietnam’s network of 17 free trade agreements, Ho Chi Minh City has the conditions needed to move beyond expanding its international networks and directly commercialize technology to generate tangible economic value.

Plug and Play leaders, together with venture capital funds and international technology corporations, are expected to visit Ho Chi Minh City in March 2027 to advance concrete action programs and turn commitments made in Silicon Valley into actual investment projects in Vietnam.