24-month target to realize semiconductor opportunity

At the semiconductor human resource development conference on the afternoon of April 24 in Hanoi, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung assessed that the world context and domestic advantages are giving Vietnam the opportunity to enhance its role. role in the global semiconductor industry value chain.

The four advantages mentioned by the Minister include political determination; Favorable investment and business environment attracts more than 50 operating businesses; quality workforce; and has upgraded comprehensive strategic partnerships with many countries with developed semiconductor industries.

“With the above context and advantages, Vietnam has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to participate in the global semiconductor industry value chain,” Mr. Dung emphasized.

However, to take advantage of opportunities, Vietnam needs to perfect mechanisms and policies to ensure competition with countries in the region; Synchronize infrastructure of electricity, water, transportation, fiber optic cable, and information technology; and develop high-quality human resources for the industry.

“These contents need to be implemented quickly within a period of no more than 24 months,” he said.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh considers this an opportunity but also a challenge, requiring appropriate infrastructure, institutions and human resources to meet development requirements and attract investment in the semiconductor industry. .

In particular, human resources are assessed by the Prime Minister as “one of the factors that partners expect in Vietnam”. According to him, if Vietnam prepares human resources well, it will receive the trust of partners, promote investment attraction, and develop semiconductor production and supply chains.

From the end of 2023, the Government assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to develop the project “Developing human resources for the semiconductor industry until 2030, with a vision to 2045”, with the goal of training 50-100 thousand semiconductor engineers. .

Minister Dung said the target of 50 thousand engineers will serve all stages of the value chain, including 15 thousand design engineers and 35 thousand engineers in other fields of the semiconductor industry. In addition, the project also sets a target of at least 5 thousand engineers with deep expertise in artificial intelligence, and 1.3 thousand lecturers with international qualifications.

To achieve the goal, one of the important factors is facilities. According to him, Vietnam needs at least four national shared semiconductor centers, with equipment according to international standards located at national universities, regional universities in three regions and at the Innovation Center. create a Country. In addition, about 18 basic standard semiconductor training centers at 18 technical universities are needed.

Regarding training, Mr. Dung said it will mainly be short-term, advanced, converting from nearby and suitable industries to the semiconductor industry. At the same time, formal training will be implemented on the basis of “three-party” cooperation: the state, schools and businesses, combined with international links. In the first phase, Vietnam focused on training human resources to participate in design, packaging, testing and a number of other stages related to the production of equipment, materials and chemicals.

Citing survey data at universities, he assessed that “the number of 50 thousand engineers by 2030 is completely feasible, and even more can be trained.”

According to estimates, the total budget for implementing the main tasks and solutions until 2030 is about 26,000 billion VND, of which the state budget is 17,000 billion VND and socialization sources are 9,000 billion VND.

According to the Minister, bringing the project into implementation soon will increase opportunities for Vietnam. “Therefore, we are not too perfectionistic, we learn from experience while working, making amendments and supplements according to practical requirements in the country and the world,” he said.

At the conference, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung said that to ensure the project’s success, it is necessary to pay attention to both output factors, based on market demand. In addition to guaranteed salaries for engineers, there needs to be a commitment on human resource needs between training institutions and domestic and foreign semiconductor businesses, and contracts to supply human resources to countries with shortages.

In addition, Minister Hung assessed that in the short term, in order to have semiconductor personnel, it is possible to use the plan of retraining or transition training for information technology engineers, software technology, and electrical engineers. death. To do this, teachers, instructors, and facilities are needed. “The solution here is cooperation between businesses and universities, investment in facilities by the State and training facilities. Training to attract foreign semiconductor teachers is the top priority right now. “, he said.

Talking about the need for quick deployment to take advantage of opportunities, FPT Chairman Truong Gia Binh said that the world will not wait for any country because the world cannot lack chips. He also said that there were experts who said Vietnam only had 18 months to take advantage of the opportunity. Therefore, FPT Chairman believes that breakthrough ways are needed.

“Breakthrough is important. We must have an institutional breakthrough. In 18 months we must show that Vietnam not only has the opportunity but is also committed to that opportunity,” Mr. Binh said.

After listening to the sharing of ministries, branches, localities, and domestic and foreign experts, the Prime Minister assessed that Vietnam has important conditions, foundations, and prerequisites to develop quality semiconductor human resources. high quality.

According to the Prime Minister, the five pillars for industry development include infrastructure construction; institutional improvement; human resource training; mobilize resources; build a development ecosystem. He also called human resource training for the semiconductor industry a “breakthrough of breakthroughs” in training high-quality human resources. The Prime Minister requests ministries, branches, localities, businesses, universities, and related entities to proactively, proactively, and flexibly develop plans and organize, based on their functions, tasks, and powers. implemented to deploy specific solutions to develop semiconductor human resources.