The equipment was repurposed from chip production for education and semiconductor research, the U.S. company said in an announcement Tuesday.

It carried out the conversion under an agreement with the Saigon Hi-Tech Park.

The move comes as Vietnam seeks to expand its semiconductor industry, gradually build technological self-sufficiency, and churn out tens of thousands of highly skilled engineers.

Technicians transfer chip assembly and testing equipment in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Intel

Integrating actual production equipment into teaching and research is expected to narrow the gap between education and industrial manufacturing, particularly in the packaging and testing phases, as students gain hands-on experience with specialized equipment.

Intel will also support the Saigon Hi-Tech Park and Vietnam National University with building a complete microchip training system covering design, assembly, and testing.

Kenneth Tse, vice president and general manager of Intel Products Vietnam, said Vietnam is emerging as an "important link" in the global semiconductor value chain.

He said Intel’s equipment transfer is intended to help training institutions develop practical programs that better match industry needs, narrow the gap between academic learning and real-world manufacturing, and accelerate workforce readiness for Vietnam’s long-term semiconductor development.

Vietnam’s semiconductor industry has grown quickly in recent years, creating rising demand for skilled labor.

The number of chip design firms has increased from about 40 to nearly 60 over the past two years, while companies involved in packaging, testing and manufacturing have more than doubled from seven to 15.

The country now has around 15,000 semiconductor engineers, including 7,000 chip design engineers and 7,000-8,000 others working across different production stages, as well as about 10,000 technicians.

Much of this workforce expansion has been driven by retraining programs for people from related sectors.

Under a semiconductor workforce development plan issued in September 2024, Vietnam aims to train at least 50,000 university-level and postgraduate workers by 2030, with a longer-term vision toward 2050.

The plan also calls for the establishment of four national semiconductor laboratories and 18 university-level labs to support training and research.