“We do not comment on market rumours,” a GlobalFoundries spokesperson said when asked about subsequent contacts. PSMC did not reply to a request for comment.
Industry officials said meetings at this stage were mostly to test interest and discuss potential incentives and subsidies, including power supplies, infrastructure and the availability of a trained workforce.
The Vietnamese government has said it wants its first fab by the end of this decade and on Monday (Oct 30) said chip companies would benefit from “the highest incentives available in Vietnam”.
It may also support local firms such as state-owned tech company Viettel to build fabs with imported equipment, Hung Nguyen, senior program manager on supply chains at Hanoi’s University Vietnam, told Reuters.
Viettel did not reply to a request for comment.
US$50 BILLION BET
However, Robert Li, Vice President of US Synopsys, a leading chip design firm with operations in Vietnam, urged the government to “think twice” before doling out subsidies to build fabs.
Speaking at “Vietnam Semiconductor Summit” in Hanoi on Sunday, he said building a foundry could cost as much as US$50 billion, and would entail competing on subsidies with China, the US, South Korea and the European Union which have announced spending plans on chips between US$50 and US$150 billion each.
John Neuffer, President of the US Semiconductor Industry Association, at the same conference, recommended the government focus on chip sectors where Vietnam was already strong, such as assembling, packaging and testing.