SAN JOSE, CA – Cadence Design Systems Inc. and the Vietnam National Innovation Center (NIC) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) have launched a new program aimed at accelerating IC design innovation in Vietnam.
Through the collaboration, NIC will provide Vietnam universities, training centers, and start-up companies with the technology and education required to design and develop products for the fast-growing, local semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. Cadence will provide access to its tools to academic institutes selected by NIC, providing students with an opportunity to gain real-world experience creating innovative IC designs.
H.E. Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of Vietnam, and H.E. Nguyen Chi Dzung, Minister of Ministry of Planning and Investment observed the signing ceremony with other leaders in the Vietnamese delegation during a visit. Cadence representative, Karna Nisewaner, corporate vice president, general counsel and secretary, and Vo Xuan Hoai, vice director of NIC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on September 19, 2023. Other industry, academic and government representatives also participated in the ceremony.
According to Nguyen Chi Dzung, the Vietnamese Government, especially Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, is very interested in promoting investment cooperation and developing the semiconductor industry in Vietnam; assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Information and Communications, and other ministries to develop an action program to develop this industry in Vietnam and enhance a human resource development project with the goal of forming 50,000 engineers for this industry by 2030. The cooperation between NIC and Cadence will contribute to the development of human resources and businesses in the design and product development of semiconductor chips in Vietnam and strengthen the relationship between Vietnam and the United States in enhancing the capacity of the innovation ecosystem and semiconductor industry.
The NIC is establishing the infrastructure for the IC design incubation center at Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, Hanoi, where academic institutes selected by NIC can leverage Cadence’s portfolio of industry-leading technology to create a wide variety of designs, including 5G, IoT, Automotive, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and 3D-IC packaging.
There are several aspects of the collaboration that will benefit the local market in Vietnam. For example, local university students and professors will have access to the Cadence support and Online Training Suite, providing a unique opportunity to gain real-world IC design experience. Cadence will connect and introduce internship and job opportunities to Vietnamese engineers trained at NIC.
In addition, Cadence will connect and introduce NIC and Vietnamese universities to prestigious universities worldwide, to collaborate on IC design programs and courses. In parallel, Cadence will introduce NIC to governments, organizations, businesses, and corporations in the semiconductor industry in the United States and around the world. Also, NIC will set up a start-up incubator, which will include the required infrastructure, and Cadence will support start-up companies with product development that will enable them to raise investments and commercial agreements.
“NIC is focused on advancing the Vietnamese innovation ecosystem, driving growth in high-tech areas like the semiconductor industry that can fuel our local economy,” said Vo Xuan Hoai, Vice Director of NIC. “Our collaboration with Cadence will provide students, professors, and start-ups with the technology and support they need to create quality systems that advance Vietnam’s position in the tech space.”
“We are committed to putting our tools in the hands of next-generation innovators around the world, and this latest collaboration with NIC fosters chip design advancement in Vietnam,” said Michael Shih, corporate vice president of sales for Asia Pacific and Japan at Cadence. “NIC has a pivotal role in the region, and we look forward to working together to ensure engineers have the resources they need to gain practical experience and enable our customers to achieve design success.”
The NIC was established by the Prime Minister of Vietnam in Decision No. 1269/QD-TTg, dated October 2, 2019, with the mission of supporting and developing the Vietnamese innovation ecosystem in many high-tech sectors, including the semiconductor industry, accelerating the country’s growth model based on science and technology.
