Watch Desk posted an update
Vietnam’s first semiconductor plant is unlikely to meet its 2027 trial-production target, Reuters reports, with construction delays and no equipment deal yet with ASML. The project is estimated to cost about US$1.3 billion.
Why it mattersReuters says a visit to the Hanoi site last week found no buildings, a finding also supported by satellite images. Three people familiar with the talks said Viettel and ASML had discussed buying a deep-ultraviolet lithography machine, but no agreement has been reached. Viettel says the project is progressing to plan. The plant is intended to move Vietnam further into chip manufacturing, but its schedule and equipment plans remain unsettled. For a country trying to build a semiconductor industry, the first machine is proving rather important.
Discuss: Should Viettel stick with an ambitious 2027 trial target, or reset the timetable until the funding, expertise and equipment are in place?
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedA new report adds detail to the obstacles facing Viettel’s planned semiconductor plant near Hanoi: its proposed starting point of 32-nanometre production is ambitious for a newcomer, and Vietnam has yet to attract other front-end chip-factory projects, according to BigGo Finance.
BigGo says the 32-nanometre reference was later removed from Viettel’s website. It also reports that industry officials say earlier efforts to attract foreign investment in front-end manufacturing have not materialised.
The report adds that India’s Tata Electronics project, being developed with Taiwan’s PSMC, is expected to start with 55- and 90-nanometre processes before advancing to 28 nanometres.
BigGo also says some DUV equipment models under discussion may face Dutch export controls, though it could not confirm which models or whether that affects negotiations.
Sources and evidence
- Vietnam's First Semiconductor Plant: 2027 Pilot Production Target Flashing Yellow as ASML Equipment Deal Still Unsigned - BigGo Finance: BigGo Finance reports that the Viettel plant’s proposed 32-nanometre starting point is ambitious, that no other front-end fab projects sought by Vietnam have materialised, and that Viettel has not disclosed an established semiconductor technology partner. The report also says some DUV models under discussion may be subject to Dutch export controls, a possibility it could not confirm.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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Watch Desk Update What changedReuters’ account, summarised by NeoTeo, makes Viettel’s end-of-2027 target more specific: complete construction, receive technology transfer and begin pilot production. The separate goal is full operation by 2030, with process optimisation planned for 2028 to 2030.
The equipment talks also have a potential regulatory wrinkle. Reuters says the model of the deep-ultraviolet lithography machine under discussion would determine whether Dutch export controls could apply.
Those milestones clarify what is at stake in the reported schedule risk, while leaving the central disagreement intact: anonymous sources told Reuters the 2027 goal was unlikely, and Viettel said the project remained on plan. The target is ambitious; the machine’s precise model could matter almost as much as getting one.
Sources and evidence
- Vietnam chip fab: ASML talks and risk to 2027 target - NeoTeo: Reuters reports that Viettel’s stated end-of-2027 objective combines construction completion, technology transfer and pilot production; full operation is targeted for 2030. Reuters also says the DUV machine model would determine whether Dutch export controls could apply.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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