Vietnam introduces national multi-project wafer coordination center

The center is expected to bridge domestic chip research and design with the global semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Nguyen Khac Lich, head of the Authority of ICT Industry, said semiconductors have become a key indicator of a nation's technological capability, manufacturing strength, innovation capacity and strategic autonomy.

Vietnam is not a newcomer to the semiconductor industry, Lich said, noting that the sector has made remarkable progress in recent years.

In 2025, the industry generated revenue of US$21 billion, attracted $14 billion in foreign investment through more than 240 projects, and fostered the growth of 60 integrated circuit design companies employing over 7,000 semiconductor design engineers.

However, he emphasized that Vietnam must improve its capacity of transforming chip designs into physical products to move further up the global semiconductor value chain.

Many promising designs and research outcomes developed by universities, research institutes, businesses and startups continue to face difficulties during the prototyping stage due to the lack of a centralized coordination mechanism, limited access to manufacturing, testing and post-fabrication evaluation services.

These challenges have become major obstacles for Vietnam's integrated circuit design community.

The ministry expects the center to address these issues through the multi-project wafer model, which combines multiple chip designs onto a single fabrication run, significantly reducing production costs and development time.

The approach will accelerate the commercialization of semiconductor products made in Vietnam.

The center is meant to provide shared infrastructure supporting the entire semiconductor development process, from design and prototype fabrication to packaging, testing and commercialization.

The center will supply design tools, offer design verification services, and serve as a liaison between domestic institutions and international chip fabrication plants, packaging facilities, testing providers and technology partners.

Local universities, research institutes and enterprises will be able to access coordinated prototyping services through the center.

Following prototype production, the center will assist in evaluating chip quality and connect developers with government support programs and investment funds to facilitate commercialization.

It also plans to establish advanced laboratories for post-fabrication testing, evaluation and analysis.

Addressing the ceremony, Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan said Vietnam's semiconductor and strategic technology industries currently enjoy the highest level of policy support from the Party and the State.

3-phase development roadmap

The center is set to undergo three phases of development.

During the 2026-27 period, the government will fully subsidize semiconductor prototype production costs to encourage universities, research institutes, companies and design teams to conduct research, develop new products and build operational experience with the multi-project wafer model.

From 2028 to 2030, the government will continue providing partial financial support while the center will expand its shared infrastructure, laboratories, testing environments and specialized technical services to improve design quality and commercialization capabilities.

Beginning in 2030, the center aims to master advanced semiconductor technologies, deepen international cooperation and develop into a leading semiconductor prototyping support center in Southeast Asia, strengthening Vietnam's role in both regional and global semiconductor supply chains.