Intel is said to be considering increasing its investment in Vietnam to expand its chip testing and packaging facilities in that country.
Currently, Intel has invested USD 1.5 billion in Vietnam and reportedly will add another USD 1 billion. The increase in investment according to sources quoted by Reuters is an important signal for Vietnam in the realm of the semiconductor supply chain.
Especially after many companies have tried to reduce their dependence on China and Taiwan due to geopolitical problems and the high tension of trade wars with the United States.
Another source said that the investment would be made in the next few years with a value that could exceed USD 1 billion. However, some say that Intel is also considering investing in Malaysia and Singapore.
Intel itself did not confirm these rumors and said, "Vietnam is an important part of our global manufacturing network, but we have not announced any new investment."
Currently, the chip packaging and testing facility is in Ho Chi Minh, and this facility is the largest in the world, we were quoted as saying by Reuters, Friday (10/2/2023).
For information, the chip packaging referred to here is not chip packaging or chip packaging. Rather it is the process of assembling the chip to include the various circuits that are on the chip into the chip "casing". Although it looks trivial, this is a very complicated process.
Currently Intel already has additional land in the location of the factory facility. If they do eventually expand, this is said to make Intel even stronger in dealing with production disruptions, because it is no longer so dependent on one particular country or factory.
Vietnam is also said to be very aggressive in expanding the chip manufacturing industry, and continues to seduce many foreign companies engaged in the chip industry, be it in the assembly, design, testing, to manufacturing fabs.