A research team at the Saigon AI Hub. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Diem

Google Labs, the experimental division of the U.S. technology giant focused on testing new AI ideas, and Saigon AI Hub (SAIH) announced Monday a strategic partnership to establish the Applied AI Lab (AAL).

SAIH, an open AI research space in HCMC, was founded late last year by VNG Corporation and the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.

It is the first research organization in the world selected to join the AI Futures Fund program, a Google Labs investment initiative designed to support pioneering AI entities at different stages of development.

Under the partnership, Google Labs will work directly with research teams at SAIH, providing early and exclusive access to Google’s latest technologies, along with technical support from specialists at Google and Google DeepMind.

The collaboration aims to strengthen Vietnam’s research and innovation ecosystem by helping local teams access advanced AI models and develop solutions with strong economic and social value.

According to Josh Woodward, vice president overseeing Gemini applications, Google Labs and AI Studio, choosing SAIH as the first partner for the AAL pilot is about more than just providing tools but is intended to create an environment where Vietnamese researchers could narrow the gap between the lab and practical application.

He said Google Labs believes the solutions developed there would also offer the global AI research community valuable insights.

Le Hong Minh, chairman of VNG, said partnerships such as the one with Google Labs allow SAIH researchers to apply new technologies at the same pace as leading global AI organizations.

He said the biggest barrier to AI research in Vietnam is not a lack of talent but a lack of resources and support conditions for researchers to fully realize their potential, adding that the hub hopes to expand the model with other partners.

The first 10 research teams at SAIH include nearly 60 researchers from universities in HCMC selected based on practical application potential, research capability and a commitment to responsible AI development.

Their work covers areas like linguistics, computer vision, human-robot interaction, healthcare applications, and cybersecurity.

All teams are committed to publishing their findings in leading international conferences and journals rated A*/A and Q1/Q2 besides completing at least one prototype with practical application potential.