Vietnam's transformation into the global technology hub.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - In the digital age, if data is considered the new "oil," then semiconductor chips are the most sophisticated "metallurgical machines," capable of powering the entire world.

From electric toothbrushes, refrigerators, and televisions to advanced weapon systems and super-intelligent artificial intelligence (AI), everything depends on tiny pieces of silicon, no bigger than a fingernail.

However, behind that widespread presence lies a production process that is considered one of the most difficult, expensive, and demanding of all standards ever established by humankind.

Vietnam's official entry into chip manufacturing with Viettel 's factory is not just a simple industrial project, but also an affirmation of the nation's aspiration to master core technologies.

A three-month journey for a piece of silicon.

To understand why the world is in a highly competitive chip "race," we first need to look at the complexity of creating them.

A computer chip is not a simple block of material, but a highly complex structure with dozens of thin films stacked on top of each other.

At GlobalFoundries' factories in Malta, New York (USA), the production process for a single wafer (silicon disk) takes an average of about three months.

Christopher Belfi, a senior manager at GlobalFoundries, compared the process to making a cake. However, this is a "cake" with 60 to 75 layers, and each layer requires precision down to the atomic level.

Semiconductor chips are domestically produced in Vietnam (Photo: CTV).

In total, a single wafer must go through 700 to 1,000 different technological steps before completion. Throughout that journey, the silicon wafers move non-stop on automated rail systems on the factory ceiling, passing by machines worth a fortune.

According to data from Supplyframe, the wafer manufacturing process typically takes 14 to 20 weeks, followed by approximately 6 weeks for assembly, testing, and packaging (ATP).

This sophistication makes scaling up production impossible overnight. Supplyframe CEO Steve Flagg stated that the semiconductor industry has extremely high costs, great complexity, and long timelines, making it difficult for supply to quickly respond to fluctuations in market demand.

The unrealistic standards behind cleanrooms

A chip manufacturing plant is unlike any other industrial facility. It's a place where every error must be reduced to zero.

In cleanrooms, employees must wear airtight "rabbit suits" to prevent even a single speck of dust or strand of hair from falling out, as these could ruin the entire circuit etching process.

Christopher Belfi shared that in that environment, colleagues recognized each other not by their faces, but by their gait.

A "cleanroom" is defined as a space where, per cubic meter of air, a maximum of 35 dust particles are permitted, a level of cleanliness 10,000 times higher than that of a hospital operating room. Such spaces are classified as Class 1 cleanrooms.

Cleanroom, Nano and Energy Center, Faculty of Science , Vietnam National University, Hanoi, a training and research center for semiconductors (Photo: Giang Huy).

The water used in the plant must meet ultra-pure standards, with a cleanliness level 2,000 times higher than that of ordinary drinking water. Even vibrations so small that they are imperceptible to humans are strictly controlled, at a threshold of only 12.5 millionths of a meter per second.

Notably, the energy required to operate a chip factory is enormous. The amount of electricity consumed can be equivalent to that of approximately 50,000 households, and even a few seconds of voltage drop can cause millions of dollars in damage by ruining batches of products in the process.

These stringent requirements demonstrate that maintaining stable performance and optimizing operational processes is not just a technical problem, but a vital challenge for any chip manufacturer.

Economic problem

Chip manufacturing is not just a technical story; it's also a race for currency and national prestige.

A state-of-the-art extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machine can cost up to approximately $400 million. With total investment for each chip factory potentially reaching billions, even tens of billions of dollars, it's understandable that global production capacity is concentrated primarily in Asia. Taiwan (China) holds a dominant position, controlling over 90% of the world's highest-tech chip market share.

However, the balance is gradually shifting as major powers realize the impact of over-reliance on a single region. The US has allocated $52 billion through the CHIPS Act in hopes of bringing manufacturing capacity back domestically.

Semiconductor chips researched and developed by Viettel Group (Photo: CTV).

Forecasts from McKinsey and Supplyframe indicate that global semiconductor industry revenue will reach $1 trillion by 2030. To achieve that figure, companies are expected to invest approximately $1 trillion in new factories between now and 2030.

This race is not for the impatient or those with limited funds.

Vietnam and the dream of self-reliance stemming from the "heart" of technology.

In this context, Viettel's commencement of construction of a chip manufacturing plant in Hoa Lac is of historical significance.

This marks the first time Vietnam has officially entered the "front-end" stage – the most challenging and highest value-added stage in the semiconductor value chain.

The front-end stage in chip manufacturing is the initial phase of the production line, focusing on forming the logic and functionality of the integrated circuit. At this stage, basic structures such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors are created on a silicon wafer using photolithography, etching, and deposition techniques, thereby determining the functions the chip will perform.

The front-end phase includes RTL (Register Transfer Level) logic design and synthesis to convert it into a logic gate description. Once complete, the design is transferred to the back-end phase, where the physical layout and connectivity of the integrated circuit are implemented.

Previously, Vietnam's presence was primarily in the design, packaging, and testing stages.

Mastering the 1,000-step process of transforming a blank silicon wafer into a semiconductor chip is a challenge that pushes the boundaries of scientific expertise and industrial discipline.

According to experts, chip manufacturing requires not only machinery and capital, but also a highly skilled workforce and STEM (Scientific, Technological, and Economic) education ecosystem.

Analyst Christopher Belfi from GlobalFoundries acknowledges that finding skilled personnel is one of the real challenges, as the semiconductor manufacturing curriculum at universities remains limited.

Vietnam is gradually achieving self-sufficiency in semiconductor chip technology (Photo: CTV).

Analysts believe that in Vietnam, the appearance of the Viettel factory is expected to become a "magnet" attracting talent and simultaneously promoting specialized training programs in the semiconductor field.

Although we still lag behind leading corporations like TSMC or Samsung in terms of cost and sophistication, having a domestic factory is a fundamental step towards ensuring long-term economic security.

Semiconductor chip manufacturing is a never-ending marathon, where technology changes by the month and costs run into billions of dollars.

For Vietnam, Viettel's chip factory, expected to begin operations in 2027, is a high-tech industrial project, marking its initial entry into the semiconductor manufacturing sector.

Video depicting the semiconductor chip manufacturing process (Source: Viettel).

Semiconductors are considered an increasingly important sector for the digital economy, but they also demand very high standards and significant investment. Entering this industry requires sustainability, competitiveness, and practical efficiency.

Although the road ahead is still full of challenges, from optimizing processes to competing in the global supply chain, starting with the first steps in a Class 1 cleanroom at Hoa Lac, Vietnam is confidently writing its name on the world map of high technology.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/buoc-chuyen-minh-cua-viet-nam-vao-loi-cong-nghe-the-gioi-20260119192203550.htm