Mr. Vu Anh Tu, FPT Technology Director, expressed that never before have Vietnamese technology enterprises in general and FPT in particular been so positively inspired to continue to boldly innovate, create, and build a high-tech industry like now. This is a launching pad for Vietnamese enterprises to fly higher when having the opportunity to access support policies, investment incentives, and international cooperation.
Rewarding domestic technology businesses
Reporter: Decision No. 1131/QD-TTg recently issued by the Prime Minister clearly defines the list of strategic technologies and strategic technology products. How does this impact Vietnamese technology enterprises? How does FPT view the role of technology enterprises in the country's development strategy?
Mr. Vu Anh Tu: Decision 1131/NQ-TTg is truly a big boost for the Vietnamese technology business community. For those of us working in technology, this is not just an administrative document but a worthy reward for a long journey full of effort, sometimes alone and silently. There were times when we asked ourselves: Is the path we are taking the right one? And now, the answer has come, very clear and encouraging.
For nearly 40 years, FPT has grown up with the development of Vietnamese technology. From the first days of computerizing economic sectors, to automation, then digital transformation, and now AI transformation, each step is associated with the aspiration to bring Vietnam further on the world technology map.
Decision 1131 of the Government has clearly identified 11 strategic technology groups and 35 strategic technology products focusing on key areas, having a profound impact on the country's competitiveness and technological autonomy.
This new opportunity opens up opportunities for businesses like FPT to continue to research and develop breakthrough products, and more importantly, affirm that Vietnamese people are completely capable of mastering core technology.
Reporter: Among the 11 strategic technology groups that the Government has just issued in Decision 1131, FPT is dominating with many strategic technology products. What are the advantages that FPT will continue to use to affirm its pioneering position?
Mr. Vu Anh Tu: Yes, that's right. We are proud to be born as a technology company and in the late 90s, we have always wondered how to put Vietnam on the world digital map. This has motivated us to always look for the latest technology trends, always find ways to research and apply to serve the country, businesses and people.
Over the years, we have been proactively investing in research and development and capacity building in 7/11 strategic technology groups of the country. These are artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, blockchain, robotics and automation, semiconductor chips, cybersecurity, aerospace technology. In the future, we may be able to participate in the advanced biomedical technology group.
To talk about advantages, I think it is not in scale or numbers, but in spirit - the spirit of dedication, creativity, not afraid of challenges and love of technology in a very natural, very "naive" way of the people working at FPT.
From the very beginning, we were passionate about exploring and experimenting, sometimes just out of curiosity, wanting to create something new and useful. Some of the first products were made in small rooms, by groups of young engineers, only a few people, but full of enthusiasm.
For example, with AI, we started in 2013, when this concept was still very strange in Vietnam. The research team at that time had less than 10 people, self-training robots, creating very primitive products of artificial intelligence. In 2017, we launched a number of chatbots to put into practical applications such as a virtual assistant supporting applications in the medical industry for one of the leading companies in the healthcare sector in the US; a virtual assistant automatically supporting customers via email and chat for one of the leading telecommunications companies in Singapore... Some AI technology research results have also been applied to the development of self-driving car technology.
From those small steps, we have gradually formed a comprehensive AI ecosystem, from research capacity, cooperation with the most prestigious research institutes and organizations in global AI such as Mila, Landing AI, National University of Singapore ..., to a diverse AI solution ecosystem, large human resources and smart infrastructure.
But for us, the most important thing is to keep the original spirit - doing technology with passion and belief that Vietnamese people can create technology products and solutions used on a global scale.
Or with semiconductor technology, about 10 years ago, FPT started researching semiconductor chips at the request of an international customer who wanted to design a new chip line with FPT. We boldly built a team and invited experts from abroad.
By 2022, we will establish a semiconductor company. We research and develop about 25 types of chips. The most important part is design, and Vietnamese engineers will take charge. All production, packaging, and testing will be done abroad. Everything started from curiosity, from a belief that Vietnamese people can completely master core technology.
We take each step firmly, persistently and steadfastly. Each step carries with it the aspiration to contribute to the country and the community.
Developing strategic technology products to boost the digital economy
Reporter: Following the world's AI technology flow, how does FPT continue to nurture its aspiration to bring the latest technology to Vietnam to develop products and affirm its leading position?
Mr. Vu Anh Tu: For FPT, pursuing AI is not only a long-term strategy but also the ability to quickly catch up with global technological movements. We quietly and persistently started researching AI 12 years ago, when AI was still a strange concept, not trusted by many people. At that time, we had nothing but the belief that we carried within us the special genes of FPT people - "doing the impossible".
I remember, in June 2019, in a small meeting room in the middle of Saigon, Mr. Le Hong Viet (General Director of FPT Smart Cloud, FPT Corporation) and his colleagues boldly declared: "Vietnamese VoiceBot must be a Vietnamese thing". At that time, many people were skeptical, because in the market there were already big names from the US and India.
At that time, the FPT team did not have a complete product, just a few scattered APIs and a bold idea. But with perseverance and an unyielding spirit, within just 10 months, we built a complete Vietnamese VoiceBot, which was selected by Home Credit and evaluated as being more effective than the solution they were using in China.
That is one of the milestones that makes us believe even more that, if passionate enough, Vietnamese people can completely master technology - even in seemingly impossible fields.
Whenever a new trend appears in the world, we try to catch up quickly. When large language models (LLM) started to explode, FPT quickly built its own Vietnamese model.
As Generative AI becomes the focus, we deploy the GenAI platform to serve the specific needs of domestic enterprises. And with AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), we are also preparing the first steps to master this technology in the future.
At the same time, we strengthen our close connections with the world's leading research centers, universities strong in AI and semiconductors, and major technology partners such as Nvidia. These partnerships not only help FPT quickly update new technologies, but also create conditions for us to develop products that meet international standards, but are still suitable for the characteristics of Vietnam.
In the country, we have included AI in the curriculum from elementary to university, with the desire to build a young generation that can quickly access and master new technology as soon as it appears.
In early July, FPT plans to launch the largest AI competition in terms of the number of participants for the Vietnamese technology community. By September, we are expected to announce the opening of an AI programming training platform for students of all levels, built by FPT in collaboration with the world's leading technology university. These are small but hopeful steps, so that AI is not only the technology of the future but also a tool to serve life today.
Reporter: What are the strategic technologies that FPT will focus on in the next 5-10 years?
Mr. Vu Anh Tu: In the next 5 to 10 years, we clearly identify artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cloud computing, robotic automation, blockchain, and cybersecurity as the technological pillars that we will devote much effort to, contributing to strongly promoting the development of the digital economy.
We are also considering getting involved in quantum computing. Maybe in a few years, when the technology is well developed, we will regret not having started earlier. But at the moment, with the information and capabilities we have, it is not easy to make a decision.
In addition, there is an area that we are particularly interested in, which is advanced biomedical technology. Although it is just an initial idea at the moment, we believe that this will be a potential direction. In a recent forum on innovation in the medical field, we shared our desire to accompany the pharmaceutical industry to develop new drugs, making Vietnam a regional pharmaceutical technology testing center based on AI and data.
We are also working with large corporations in Singapore to seek cooperation opportunities, with the hope of being able to work with the Vietnamese healthcare industry to bring technology to serve public health effectively and sustainably.
Reporter: What are the biggest challenges FPT has faced in the research and development process?
Mr. Vu Anh Tu: Working in technology is always a challenging journey. The world changes very quickly, new technologies are constantly appearing, but are also quickly replaced. That makes choosing an investment never easy – especially for Vietnamese businesses with limited resources.
There are technologies we started early, but there are also opportunities we missed. In technology, regret is always present – but it also motivates us to keep learning and moving forward.
Another big challenge, perhaps even bigger, is trust. When the technology was in its infancy, few people believed it would create real value. Only a few experts were passionate and determined enough to see it through.
It is the creative spirit, passion and dedication of the young people at FPT that has helped us overcome initial doubts, gradually conquer small successes, and then create great achievements and products of high practical value.
When AI begins to be applied in work and real life, people realize: technology is not just a theory or a science fiction movie, but something that can be touched, used, and create real change.
It is the creative spirit, passion and dedication of the young people at FPT that has helped us overcome initial doubts, gradually conquer small successes, and then create great achievements and products of high practical value.
Reporter: Sir, what does FPT expect from the State to promote the strategic technology ecosystem?
Mr. Vu Anh Tu: We hope that the Government will have more drastic technology and digital transformation programs and projects like Project 06 so that businesses can participate in the implementation.
With Decision 1131/NQ-TTg clearly identifying 35 strategic technology products and 4 breakthrough resolutions - the "four pillars" recently issued by the Politburo, I think technology enterprises have enough leverage to accelerate. Now is the time for the strong and rapid participation of the political system to implement these resolutions. At the same time, expand and prioritize Vietnamese technology products, Vietnamese technology enterprises participate in major national projects. All major technology corporations in the world take the domestic market as their first support.
Reporter: In your opinion, what should Vietnamese technology enterprises in general and FPT in particular do to contribute more to the implementation of Decision 1131?
Mr. Vu Anh Tu: Our common goal, and I believe it is also that of many Vietnamese technology enterprises, is to contribute to building a strong technology ecosystem, where Vietnamese people can master core technology, create products of practical value, and serve their own country.
With FPT, we will focus on three key tasks including researching and developing core technology, training digital human resources, and building smart technology infrastructure. For example, with AI technology, we are building a large Vietnamese language model and completely opening it up for the community to use to develop their own AI products and applications. Or we organize AI competitions, initiate strategic human resource training alliances, etc. to create conditions for Vietnamese people to access and master new technology.
If each business clearly defines its role in the big picture, together we will build a strong, self-reliant and sustainable Vietnamese technology industry.
For Vietnamese technology enterprises in general, I think we can start with very practical things. First of all, we need to make good use of support policies from the State to boldly invest in research and development. At the same time, we should participate more deeply in national digital transformation programs, not only as a solution provider, but also as a partner accompanying the Government and industries.
In addition, proactively cooperating with universities and research institutes to build high-quality human resources is also an important direction. And above all, it is necessary to persistently pursue strategic technology fields, even though there are many difficulties at first, but if we persevere, we will create real values.
I believe that if each business clearly defines its role in the big picture, together we will build a strong, self-reliant and sustainable Vietnamese technology industry.
Thank you Mr. Vu Anh Tu!
Source: https://nhandan.vn/cong-nghe-chien-luoc-va-khat-vong-lam-chu-cua-doanh-nghiep-viet-post886846.html
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