Marvell to set up new facility in Vietnam

The statement was made by its chairman and CEO Matt Murphy at the US-Vietnam Innovation and Investment Summit in Hanoi on September 11.

The summit was led by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Vietnamese Minister for Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, and included President Joseph Biden and Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Accordingly, Marvell is in the process of expanding its physical footprint in the country – with a new facility to be operational by the end of 2024. The move is part of Marvell's plan to further increase its semiconductor design and engineering activities in the country.

The US manufacturer plans to establish a world-class design centre in Ho Chi Minh City. The site will be home to advanced semiconductor engineering and will be a top technology workplace for employees to enhance their skills and achieve outstanding career opportunities.

In addition, Marvell is committed to increasing its Vietnamese workforce by half over the next three years. The company is increasing its internship and university relations programmes and will double funding for the Marvell Excellence Scholarship programme to support talented students pursuing degrees in engineering and computer science at selected universities in Vietnam.

From its inception 10 years ago, Marvell's Vietnam location has grown to be a key strategic research and development centre for the company. The company's work in Vietnam is primarily focused on high-speed data centre optical connectivity, storage, and analog mixed signal semiconductor technology.

"We applaud the US and Vietnamese governments for their focused efforts in making global innovation a priority and for putting semiconductors at the forefront of those discussions," said Murphy. "Engineering talent is one of the major challenges facing the industry. To succeed, we need to invest worldwide. Vietnam is growing as centre of semiconductor innovation. With our design centre and scholarship programme, we are committed to growing high-value semiconductor jobs in the country that will further help Marvell pursue its mission of optimising the world's data infrastructure."

More US chip firms have made announcements that they will invest or expand their operations in Vietnam. US-based Amkor Technology's $1.6 billion semiconductor plant in the northern province of Bac Ninh, Amkor's largest facility worldwide, is scheduled for trial production by late October 2023.

Meanwhile, Intel Corp is considering a significant increase in its existing $1.5-billion investment in Vietnam to expand its chip testing and packaging plant in the Southeast Asian nation.

A new partnership has formed between Vietnam and the US to explore semiconductor supply chain opportunities. Accordingly, the US State Department is partnering with the Vietnamese government to explore opportunities to grow and diversify the global semiconductor ecosystem under the International Technology Security and Innovation (Fund, created by the CHIPS Act of 2022. The partnership will help create a more resilient, secure, and sustainable global semiconductor value chain.

Vietnam shows promise as a partner for the US in ensuring the semiconductor supply chain is diverse and resilient. Products ranging from vehicles to medical devices increasingly rely on semiconductors as the building blocks of today’s economy.

By building on Vietnam’s existing strengths in assembly, testing, and packaging. This collaboration strives to identify new opportunities that draw in industry investments and expand the technical workforces in both countries.

Semiconductor groups go all-out with local investment Vietnam’s semiconductor potential is being bolstered by the development of manufacturing complexes and related capabilities.

Vietnam and US companies collaborate on semiconductors and innovation High-level meetings between the US and Vietnam have paved the way for a strategic partnership focusing on the technology sector, with semiconductors and innovation at the forefront.

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