Tech firms need large government orders to thrive: minister

He said at a recent conference that for large enterprises to emerge in the tech sector, the government must entrust them with major responsibilities because "only with significant tasks can Vietnamese enterprises grow."

Last month some major industry players accepted the government’s challenge to develop areas like 5G, 6G, blockchain, Internet of Things, Vietnamese AI models, and AI virtual assistants.

Military-owned telecom giant Viettel said it has developed the complete core technology for two important chips for 5G radio stations.

By 2030 it plans to develop chips for telecom network infrastructure, AI processing and military equipment.

It is investing in design tools and labs to develop smarter algorithms to improve chip performance.

A recent Politburo resolution on technology advancement paves the way for Viettel and other businesses to involve themselves in the semiconductor industry by designing and packaging chips and building manufacturing plants for both domestic sales and exports, a company spokesperson said Monday.

The resolution authorizes experiments in new areas and accepts risks related to investment.

Viettel wants products made in Vietnam to be encouraged and prioritized for domestic use. It also seeks more guidelines for the formation of venture capital funds and mechanisms for businesses to boldly develop new technologies.

State-owned VNPT seeks to master generative AI models in the fields of language, images, information, and data by 2027.

It wants the large language model in Vietnamese to possess a superior understanding of Vietnamese culture, history and geography.

In the next three years the company plans to build a digital version of cities, including a 3D national digital map with details of urban technical infrastructure, environment, transportation, logistics, education, health, industry, trade, underground works, ground space, and satellite space.

Software developer Misa plans to invest VND2.5 trillion (US$99 million) in the next five years for building a large language model specializing in processing state legal documents, accounting, tax, and business administration.

Truong Gia Binh, chairman of private tech giant FPT, said he was very excited to participate in programs related to the Politburo’s resolution on technology.

"Our first commitment is to become a global-scale digital technology corporation, achieving $5 billion in overseas revenues by 2030."

FPT also plans to train 10,000 semiconductor engineers and 50,000 AI engineers, and provide skills and knowledge about AI to half a million information technology engineers by 2030, he had said at the National Forum on Digital Technology Enterprises in January.

One Mount CEO Nguyen Thi Diu said her company plans to invest $200-500 million to develop blockchain technology and deploy a blockchain network that would help boost all areas of digital technology.

The Politburo issued a resolution in December last year that said the development of science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation is the top priority and the main driving force for developing modern productive forces, improving production relations, innovating national governance methods, promoting socio-economic development, preventing the risk of falling behind, and helping the country achieve breakthrough developments in the new era.

This requires drastic, synchronous and unrelenting implementation with breakthroughs and long-term solutions, it said.

People and businesses would be at the center of these developments, scientists would play a key factor in their success, and the state, with its leading role, needs to create the most favorable conditions for them, it said.