MoU signed during the 2026 ITS World Congress in Gangneung, with initial cooperation focusing on education and future opportunities in government, public services, and manufacturing.
South Korea’s domestically developed AI semiconductor technology is set to enter Vietnam’s rapidly growing AI market. On October 20, 2026, DeepX, a South Korean AI semiconductor company, and SotaTek Korea, a Vietnam-based global IT services and consulting provider, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Gangneung Olympic Park during the 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress. Through this partnership, the two companies aim to introduce Neural Processing Unit (NPU) technology to Vietnam, initially through education initiatives, while exploring opportunities to expand AI Vision and Physical AI applications across government, public services, and manufacturing.
[Group photo at the 2026 ITS World Congress. From left: DeepX representatives, President of the Korea Intelligent Transport Systems Association, Vice Minister of Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction, and SotaTek Korea representatives.]
Vietnam’s Growing AI Market Creates New Opportunities for NPU Technology
Vietnam is strengthening its position as an AI research, development, and application hub in Southeast Asia. Under its national AI strategy, the Vietnamese government aims to develop the country into a leading center for AI research, development, application, and value creation in ASEAN and Asia by 2030. The strategy also emphasizes strengthening national capabilities in AI research, technological autonomy, adoption, and governance.
As AI adoption continues to expand across education, public services, and industrial operations, demand for efficient AI computing infrastructure is expected to grow. Against this backdrop, DeepX and SotaTek Korea plan to introduce DeepX NPU products, including the DX-M1, to the Vietnamese market and identify potential business opportunities.
NPU technology is designed to accelerate AI workloads through specialized processing architecture. By enabling AI inference directly on devices, it can support applications that require efficient computing, low latency, and reduced reliance on cloud infrastructure. These capabilities are relevant to emerging applications in AI Vision, industrial automation, and Physical AI.
Education as the First Step Toward Building a Physical AI Ecosystem
Education will be the initial focus of the partnership. DeepX and SotaTek Korea plan to collaborate with leading Vietnamese universities that offer AI-related programs to develop specialized talent and strengthen practical knowledge of AI semiconductor technology.
The initiative is intended to provide students and future engineers with opportunities to learn about and work with DeepX NPU technology. By establishing an educational foundation, the two companies aim to contribute to the development of a local talent pool capable of researching, developing, and operating AI-based systems.
Building on this cooperation, the partners will explore opportunities to expand into government, public services, and manufacturing. Potential application areas include AI Vision and Physical AI solutions for surveillance and security, industrial safety management, and quality inspection.
These applications reflect the growing role of edge AI and AI-enabled devices in connecting intelligent algorithms with real-world environments. The partnership seeks to combine semiconductor technology with software development and system integration capabilities to explore solutions suited to Vietnam’s market needs.
Complementary Roles in Technology, Education, and Market Development
Under the MoU, DeepX and SotaTek Korea will contribute complementary capabilities to the partnership.
DeepX will provide NPU products, develop educational content, and support marketing activities related to the initiative. SotaTek Korea will lead local coordination, including recruiting participating universities, managing program operations, providing maintenance support, and overseeing overall business activities.
The companies plan to work with Vietnamese universities and relevant institutions to expand the educational program. The initiative will operate based on minimum actual costs associated with each party’s responsibilities, with the aim of supporting broader participation from local academic institutions.
The agreement was signed in the presence of key representatives from both companies and the Korea Intelligent Transport Systems Association, as well as representatives from Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction. The signing took place during the 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress, an international event bringing together stakeholders in intelligent transport systems and related technologies.
[DeepX and SotaTek Korea sign an MoU to explore opportunities for bringing AI semiconductor technology to Vietnam.]
DeepX and SotaTek Korea Share Their Expectations for the Partnership
Kang Sang-kyun, Executive Director of Sales at DeepX, highlighted SotaTek’s global service capabilities and AI expertise as important strengths for the collaboration.
“ SotaTek’s global service and support capabilities are among the best. In particular, we expect its AI expertise to make the company an important partner in developing various solutions and applications based on DeepX NPUs, as well as integrating and applying these technologies in practical environments. Through this collaboration, we look forward to expanding our presence in the Vietnamese market,” he said.
Jeon Tae-sik, Chief Strategy Officer of SotaTek Korea, noted the growing demand for AI technologies in Vietnam and emphasized the importance of developing local talent.
“Demand for AI in Vietnam is growing rapidly. Through our strategic partnership with DeepX, a company at the forefront of Physical AI, we aim to expand our market presence while working with leading universities to develop and secure a strong pipeline of specialized talent,” he said.
Partnership Roadmap and Next Steps
Following the signing, the two companies outlined an initial implementation timeline. They planned to finalize the participating universities and budget by November 1, 2026, and complete university recruitment by November 30. Product delivery was scheduled for January 1, 2027, followed by the program launch ceremony on February 1, 2027.
Through this phased approach, DeepX and SotaTek Korea aim to establish an initial foundation in AI education before exploring broader opportunities for NPU adoption in Vietnam. The collaboration also reflects the potential of Korea–Vietnam technology partnerships to connect AI semiconductor innovation with local software development, system integration, and industry requirements.
About DeepX
DeepX is a South Korean fabless semiconductor company specializing in the research and development of high-performance, low-power AI semiconductors optimized for on-device AI. Its NPU solutions are designed to bring AI computing capabilities to devices and systems across a range of industrial and commercial applications.
About SotaTek Korea
SotaTek Korea is part of SotaTek, a global IT services and consulting company headquartered in Vietnam. Backed by a team of more than 1,500 IT professionals, SotaTek provides software development, AI solutions, and IT consulting services to clients across international markets.
https://www.sotatek.com/ 
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