Vietnam has moved up to the third place in ASEAN rankings in terms of chip design, heard a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on January 16.

The event was to review the two-year progress of a 124 billion VND (5.9 million USD) project on developing the city’s chip industry from 2013 until 2020.

Deputy Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee and head of the steering board for the project Le Manh Ha highlighted the debut of microchip SG8V1 as the most understanding success of the programme.

The microchip has been used in various commercial products, such as container keys, itinerary surveillance devices, e-galvanometer, and radioactive isotope identification devices, to name just a few.

In the time ahead, the project will focus on the development of micro-electro mechanical system, a small-scale workshop offering digital fabrication, and the manufacturing of electronic products using made-in-Vietnam chips.

Ha also vowed all possible support, in both policy and funding, for the chip industry.

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Quan said he is hopeful for the prospect of the chip industry of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular.

Each year, Vietnam consumes about 20 billion chips of all kinds.-VNA