Vietnam launches first commercial microchip

Vietnam’s first commercial microchip, SG8V1, made its official debut in Ho Chi Minh City on October 3.

SG8V1, developed by the Integrated Circuit Design Research and Education Centre (ICDREC) under the National University-Ho Chi Minh City, is said to be able to compete with imported chips in both quality and price.

For orders of 1,000 chips or more, each unit costs VND45,000 (US$2.14).

The microchip is a quality item produced by Vietnam’s support industry, which promotes the country’s high-tech industry, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Manh Ha said, who is also Head of the Steering Board for the city’s microchip development programme.

However, some of the materials used in SG8V1 were imported, he noted, calling for more investments in producing the components in Vietnam so the chip can be 100% made-in-Vietnam in the future.

SG8V1 is being used for a number of purposes, such as vehicle surveillance devices and smart locks, and is expected to feature in many more devices by the end of 2014.

In the launching ceremony, ICDREC presented SG8V1 and the DE-SG8V1 education kit to 34 universities and colleges and 25 information technology companies.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)