Bac Ninh pioneers in developing semiconductor industry: Part 1 - Capital of high-tech industry

BAC NINH - Thanks to efforts to improve the investment and business environment along with increasingly synchronous infrastructure, Bac Ninh province has become an attractive destination for many multinational corporations, especially enterprises in the fields of AI, semiconductors... Therefore, the demand for high-quality human resources, especially in the semiconductor industry, is very large to meet the production requirements of the industry in the digital age.

Editor's note: Bac Ninh (old) and Bac Giang provinces have soon determined to become the semiconductor industrial centers of the region and the whole country. The two provinces are also the first localities in the country to soon issue a Resolution of the Provincial People's Council to support students studying semiconductors. The Resolution has initially brought about effectiveness, with the expectation of creating a breakthrough, "taking shortcuts, getting ahead" in the development of the semiconductor industry, one of the key solutions to implement Resolution 57 on science and technology development, innovation of the Politburo.

The main driver of growth

Previously, Bac Giang and Bac Ninh both focused on industrial development and achieved many outstanding achievements. After the merger, the resonance between the two regions created a new "super industrial" Bac Ninh province with an economic scale rising to the 5th position in the country. In recent years, Bac Ninh has continuously improved its investment and business environment, while clearly identifying industry as the main driving force for growth. Thanks to that, the province has become an ideal destination for large corporations in the world. Currently, Bac Ninh attracts nearly 3,300 FDI projects from 44 countries and territories, including the presence of many leading names such as Samsung, Canon, Amkor, Foxconn, GoerTek, Luxshare...

Comrade Pham Van Thinh, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation and delegates visited the new product display area of ​​GoerTek Vina Company.

A notable highlight in the industrial picture of Bac Ninh province is the strong contribution from FDI enterprises, becoming a driving force for growth. In particular, exports continue to play a key role, despite fluctuations in global tariffs. Many units not only maintain stable operations but also record revenues far exceeding the set plan. Typically, in the first 9 months of this year, Fuyu Precision Technology Co., Ltd. had an estimated revenue of more than 133 trillion VND, an increase of 81.2% over the same period last year; Fukang Technology Co., Ltd. had an estimated revenue of 151 trillion VND; Fulian Precision Technology Component Co., Ltd. had an estimated revenue of 33 trillion VND; Microsoft Mobile Co., Ltd. had a revenue of about 29 trillion VND, an increase of 31.89%... These figures not only reflect the operational efficiency of enterprises but also affirm the attractiveness of the investment and business environment in Bac Ninh.

Currently, Bac Ninh attracts nearly 3,300 FDI projects from 44 countries and territories, including the presence of many leading names such as Samsung, Canon, Amkor, Foxconn, GoerTek, Luxshare...

In particular, the investment of Amkor Technology Co., Ltd. in the OSAT project (semiconductor packaging and testing) worth 1.6 billion USD in Yen Phong II-C Industrial Park together with the project of Hana Micron Vina Co., Ltd. (Korea) in Van Trung Industrial Park with a total investment of more than 600 million USD has put Bac Ninh on the global semiconductor map, becoming an important chip packaging and testing center of the region. Bac Ninh has also attracted a number of other semiconductor investment projects such as: Micro Commercial Components Semiconductor Equipment Factory (Yen Phong I Industrial Park), with an investment capital of 90 million USD; or Si Flex Vietnam Co., Ltd. with an investment capital of 299 million USD; Synergie Cad Vietnam Co., Ltd. with an investment of 21.2 million USD. Apple's familiar partners in Vietnam, Foxconn and Goertek, are also increasing capital and opening more factories, showing that the scale of the electronics industry in Bac Ninh is large enough to lead to the development of the semiconductor industry.

"Thirsty" for human resources in the "backbone" industry

The increasing presence of FDI enterprises in the locality not only creates a strong driving force for industrial growth but also contributes to promoting the development of high-tech sectors. According to Mr. Vu Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Finance, the semiconductor industry is considered one of the "backbone" industries, playing a core role in economic development, because it is the foundation for promoting the development of many other sectors such as electricity, electronics, automation, telecommunications and information technology. The global semiconductor industry has now made great strides, reaching a scale of about 600 billion USD in 2024 and is forecast to reach 1,000 billion USD in 2030. In recent years, the shift of semiconductor production chains has opened up many opportunities in attracting investment in the province.

Factory of Amkor Technology Vietnam Co., Ltd. in Yen Phong II-C Industrial Park.

In Vietnam, to meet the development requirements of the semiconductor industry, it is necessary to train about 10,000 specialized engineers each year. In Bac Ninh province alone, according to the synthesis of the Industrial Park Management Board, there are currently about 50 projects operating in the semiconductor and near-semiconductor fields. It is forecasted that by 2025, the labor demand in this field in the province will be about 10,000 people and will continue to increase in the following years. With the potential, advantages and directions identified, the growth rate of production value of semiconductor and AI industrial enterprises is forecast to reach about 30%/year, the production value of the semiconductor industry accounts for 6% of the value structure of the entire industry. Corresponding to this value structure, it is forecasted that by 2030, the labor force working in this industry in the province will need about 40,000 people.

In fact, human resources in the semiconductor industry in Vietnam in general and Bac Ninh in particular are still limited in both quantity and quality. Many businesses, despite possessing financial potential and modern technology, still face difficulties in recruiting suitable engineers and experts. This forces them to hire foreign experts to operate production lines, deploy technology and train domestic staff.

Production line at Canon Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Que Vo Industrial Park).

According to Mr. Tran Thanh Tuan, Head of Training Department, Goer Tek Vina Science and Technology Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Que Vo Industrial Park), the company is currently creating jobs for more than 80,000 workers and plans to continue expanding its factories in Vietnam, including Bac Ninh province. The company hopes that the provincial leaders and related departments and branches will support and facilitate the implementation of procedures, especially in recruiting and developing human resources in the semiconductor and near-semiconductor fields. In Bac Ninh alone, the company needs to recruit about 3,000 technical workers to operate the factory. For example, the factory producing, assembling and testing semiconductor materials and equipment of Amkor Company will need about 2,300 workers in the semiconductor industry by 2025.

According to the Provincial Business Association, by 2030, the global semiconductor industry may be short of about 1 million technical workers, of which packaging and testing technicians account for a large proportion. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, the workforce in this field is currently only a few thousand people, most of whom have not received specialized training. The current human resource situation for the semiconductor industry is still limited, especially in Bac Ninh. According to statistics, the whole province only has about 12-15% of technical workers at FDI enterprises with college or university degrees in the right major, while demand is forecast to double in the period 2025-2030.

However, Bac Ninh possesses many strategic potentials for developing semiconductor human resources. The province is located in the Northern key economic region, near Hanoi - a major training and research center with prestigious universities such as Hanoi University of Science and Technology, FPT University, Hanoi University of Industry. In addition, the existing electronics industry ecosystem creates favorable conditions for applying the "learning by doing" model, promoting training at addresses linked to businesses. The province's development orientation for the period 2021 - 2030 also clearly identifies the semiconductor - electronics industry as a spearhead, opening up opportunities with many preferential policies, infrastructure and investment capital.

This is the foundation for Bac Ninh to develop into the leading semiconductor human resource center in Vietnam. To realize this goal, the province is implementing synchronous solutions, in which building a strategy to develop specialized human resources for the semiconductor industry is considered an important step to ensure the sustainability of high-tech industrial development in the future.

(To be continued)

Economic reporter group

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/bac-ninh-tien-phong-phat-trien-cong-nghiep-ban-dan-bai-1-thu-phu-nganh-cong-nghe-cao-postid429743.bbg