Focus on products to create sustainable competitive advantage

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung visited and talked with leaders of CMC Technology Group

The core of competition lies in the product.

According to Minister Nguyen Manh Hung, with the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045, Vietnam must solve "big problems" such as digital infrastructure, urban operations, improving the efficiency of the public service apparatus, developing science and technology and innovation. Technology enterprises need to put themselves in relation to national goals. Strategic thinking is not just the company's own strategy, but the ability to see the links between enterprises and the State to create driving force. At the same time, it is recommended that enterprises do not copy the successful models of large corporations. Because no one succeeds by going back on the old path, they need to find their own path.

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung analyzed: “Many domestic units invest heavily in research but “stop halfway” because they cannot bring technology into commercial products. Vietnamese enterprises that want to create sustainable competitive advantages must focus on products. New products are what bring value, helping enterprises compete. To go all the way, enterprises must control the whole chain: design-integration-production-market-after-sales service.

In a discussion about AI and CMC's C-OpenAI ecosystem, the Minister suggested that businesses should not chase after "all-purpose" platforms, but should choose specific segments and problems where CMC can make a clear difference. "Talk less about technology, talk more about products. In the end, the market and customers only pay for products," he emphasized.

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung affirmed that the core of competition lies in the product.

Outsourcing cannot be the core value to go out into the world

Sharing about the globalization path of Vietnamese enterprises, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said that although the outsourcing model brings in revenue, it cannot be a strategic pillar to create long-term advantages. With CMC Global's orientation to shift from traditional outsourcing to AIX service provider, the Minister acknowledged that it is a step in the right direction but also said: "If CMC Global has declared to become a Top AIX Service Provider, it must steadfastly pursue it to the end, turning it into a core value and not just a slogan."

When asked whether CMC should choose AI or semiconductors to create a breakthrough, the Minister said that the question of "what to choose" is not as important as "whether to dare to do it to the end or not". For a business at the scale of CMC, AI is a natural choice if it has a clear data, product and market strategy. Semiconductors are a broad field, it is not necessary to start with billion-dollar projects; businesses can choose suitable segments such as design, IP, testing, IoT chips... as long as they have enough determination and resources to go long-term. AI and semiconductors are closely linked: AI always has semiconductors, and semiconductors increasingly need AI to optimize design and production.

Not only talking about industry strategy, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung also spent time discussing the culture of discipline and setting an example, emphasizing that discipline does not hinder creativity, but is the rail that helps creativity go faster and safer. At the same time, he said that the decisive factor for a lasting enterprise is the spirit of learning and the culture of criticism. "If there is no internal criticism, seek criticism from outside," the Minister emphasized.

Quang Huy

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tap-trung-vao-san-pham-de-tao-loi-the-canh-tranh-ben-vung-post924501.html