The first AI international research center in Vietnam has just been launched at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST).

The center was founded under the model of a mixed international research institution, which is jointly invested and run by HUST and Naver Group from South Korea.

The center aims to connect AI research units nationwide, as well as bolstering cooperation with major peers worldwide for AI research and application in industry across the globe.

Dr. Ta Hai Tung, director of the Institute of Information and Communication Technology under the HUST noted that in the long run, the AI center will serve as the place to connect domestic and international AI operators for conducting basic research and creating “made-in-Vietnam” core technologies.

At the launch ceremony for the AI Centre. Photo: qdnd.vn

“The center will also focus on promoting AI applications in various industries and areas to accelerate digital transformation and boost the 4.0 industrial revolution in Vietnam,” Tung said.

Initially, the center recruited over 50 scientists from the HUST and other experts from universities, institutes and technology groups in the areas related to AI and AI application under the lead of Professor Ho Tu Bao, one of the most prestigious Vietnamese scientists in the field of AI and machine learning.

Professor Ho Tu Bao was appointed science director of the AI center, which is expected to become a hub for innovation and development of AI solutions in the Southeast Asian region and the world in the next decade.

“The digital environment is creating an invaluable opportunity for the country's development that requires the establishment of excellent scientific institutions and the mastery of important technologies, and HUST - Naver AI Centre is such a hub,” Bao said.

Vietnam sets a goal of being listed in Top 4 in ASEAN and Top 50 of the world in terms of AI research, development and application by 2030.

Accordingly, the country aims to build 10 AI brands of high prestige in the region, develop three national centers on big data and high performance computing, and form a network which connects big data and high performance computing centers nationwide to better serve AI research, development and application.