Stepping into a realm where relationships and technological prowess intertwine, the U.S. and Vietnam recently solidified their ties through a hefty series of business deals and partnerships. The main course of this banquet? Advanced cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and other critical sectors, including cloud computing and semiconductors. According to the U.S. President, this imminent uplift in the relationship serves not to contain the likes of powerhouse tech nations such as China, but instead to enrich both nations’ presence in the region.
Surely, such an upgrade has elicited eager enthusiasm and spontaneous support among industry moguls. Representatives from tech giants such as Google, Intel, Microsoft, and Nvidia joined the formal ratification of the arrangements. In addition to these, Boeing seized an opportunity to evolve its own connections with Vietnam, while Amkor announced its plans to inaugurate a factory close to Hanoi.
The factory, scheduled to launch this October, will assemble, package, and test AI chips, a critical cornerstone in Vietnam’s rapidly growing economy. With a GDP of $450 billion, making it the 34th largest worldwide, Vietnam has recently swung its economic designs from centralization to a more open approach, making it fertile ground for import-export activities with the U.S.
And yet, beneath the brilliant allure of advancement, one can’t quite eliminate a tinge of skepticism. The past shadow of China undulating over Vietnam’s associations with the U.S. cannot be entirely ushered away. Vietnam’s alliance with the U.S. had often been held back by the nation’s dilemma of not wanting to provoke its giant neighbor – a tension sparked by the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
What these developments essentially spotlight is the surging global competition to produce and deploy high-level AI systems – a race prominently led by the two titans, the U.S. and China. The U.S., for instance, has issued an export ban to China on its state-of-the-art semiconductor chips last year and is considering to tighten the restrictions further. China, in counter-response, rolled out new AI regulations, which shortly followed by the release of over 70 AI models equipped with over a billion parameters.
While this U.S.-Vietnam partnership clearly amplifies the U.S.’ stature in Vietnam’s bilateral hierarchy, it also sparks curiosity – will it genuinely alter the trajectory of the ever-tense U.S.-China relations or merely add another intricate layer of complexity to it? Only time will tell if these AI-fuelled partnerships will lead to robust tech revolution or shape the dome of global politics, economic ouvertures, and tech dominations. But as of now, the game of AI chips is on, and the players are more than ready.
Source: Cointelegraph
