G42 and Vietnamese consortium to build national AI infrastructure

G42 and Vietnamese consortium to build national AI infrastructure

G42, the Abu Dhabi-based technology group, and a consortium comprising FPT Corporation and Viet Thai Group, signed an agreement to develop AI capabilities and cloud infrastructure across Vietnam on February 9.

The deal will support Vietnam's ambition to become an 'AI-native' society and a leading AI hub in Southeast Asia, while ensuring national data sovereignty and digital resilience.

The agreement formalises a comprehensive partnership and establishes the legal, financial, and regulatory framework required to advance deployment across the country.

The partners have commended the government for approach in advancing regulatory frameworks that enable hyperscale data centre deployment and public cloud adoption. Backed by spending commitments of up to $1 billion, the partnership represents a significant milestone in the region's digital transformation journey.

The consortium and G42 bring together complementary strengths essential for national-scale deployment. FPT Corporation provides deep technical expertise and local market knowledge. Viet Thai Group, a leading consumer-focused group, contributes strategic capabilities and cross-sector insights. Meanwhile, G42 brings advanced AI infrastructure.

Under the agreement, the consortium and G42 will deploy significant cloud capacity across three data centre locations in Vietnam, delivering high-performance AI and cloud services to support public and private sector workloads.

The initiative aligns with G42's broader mission to build a global and inclusive Intelligence Grid, interconnecting advanced AI infrastructure, cloud platforms, and governance frameworks to enable AI capabilities on demand, while respecting national sovereignty. Through this infrastructure, Vietnam will gain the technical foundation to develop national AI initiatives across both public and private sectors, digitising services and deploying AI-powered solutions tailored to national priorities.

"This Framework Agreement represents a new model for national AI transformation – one built on sovereignty, partnership, and purpose," said Ali Al Amine, chief commercial officer of G42 International.

"We are grateful to the Vietnamese government for their visionary leadership and to our partners, FPT Corporation and Viet Thai Group for their commitment to building infrastructure that enables Vietnam to harness AI's full potential while maintaining data sovereignty and digital independence."

Truong Gia Binh, chairman of FPT Corporation said, "Vietnam clearly understands that it cannot move forward alone. In areas such as semiconductors, AI, cloud computing, big data, and cybersecurity, we need strategic alliances with partners we can rely on and trust. The leaders have shown strong commitment, built mutual trust, and now it is time to turn those commitments into real implementation."

Beyond infrastructure development, the partnership includes plans for national AI training and workforce development programmes designed to support AI adoption across government, industry, and academia.

"This initiative positions Vietnam at the forefront of AI-driven economic development in Asia, supporting economic development and the growth of the middle class in Vietnam. Our partnership with G42 and FPT creates the infrastructure foundation for long-term growth and innovation across multiple sectors," said David Thai, CEO of Viet Thai Group.

Following the signing of the Framework Agreement, the consortium and G42 will advance to the next phase of execution, including finalising workload distribution between public and private sectors, securing regulatory approvals for public cloud adoption, and commencing site development for data centre infrastructure.

VIR