Viettel reveals homegrown security chip co-developed with Vietnam govt

Details: John Tanner; Category: Cybersecurity; 04 November 2026; 460 views

Viettel Group and Vietnam's Government Cipher Committee revealed on Wednesday they have jointly developed a semiconductor security platform featuring VGC v1.0, a homegrown chipset that integrates a domestic cryptographic algorithm directly into silicon.

VGC v1.0 – the first chip to be developed for the platform – contains 300 million transistors in a 10 × 10 mm package and is fabricated using a 28-nm CMOS process.

Viettel said the chip has performed encryption and decryption approximately 15 times faster in performance tests compared to a software-only solution carrying out the same tasks.

The Government Cipher Committee's M2 unit established security requirements, developed the cryptographic algorithm and defined evaluation criteria, while Viettel Semiconductor Center designed and implemented the chip.

The underlying platform is based on the open RISC-V instruction set architecture, which Viettel said enables its engineers to modify processor designs and reuse established verification processes for future chip generations.

The first batch of VGC v1.0 chips passed technical tests and received certification for socio-economic applications in the first quarter of 2026. Viettel said the chip has already been initially deployed in secure USB storage devices for Party, government and defence agencies.

Planned applications include supporting Vietnam's national digital signature certification system, which has more than two million digital certificates in circulation. Other potential uses include financial data protection, connected cameras and sensors, and critical infrastructure systems in electricity, water, oil and gas, and telecoms.

The two firms have signed an agreement covering plans for volume production, multicore security chips, specialist workforce development and testing on real devices.

Both the chip and the semiconductor security platform are intended to address government concerns over potential data exposure associated with reliance on imported chips. Viettel and the Government Cipher Committee said that embedding cryptographic functions directly into hardware will strengthen Vietnam's control over the design and verification of technologies used to protect sensitive information.

Viettel Group chairman and CEO Lieutenant General Tao Duc Thang described the development of VGC v1.0 as a step forward in Viettel's semiconductor design capabilities and technological self-reliance, as well as a foundation for future generations of security hardware, supporting Vietnam's long-term efforts to strengthen control over critical digital technologies.

"Researching, designing and developing secure semiconductor chips is a formidable challenge, requiring years of accumulated expertise, technological capabilities and highly skilled talent. Yet we believe that starting later does not mean accepting dependence on others,” said Viettel Group chairman and CEO Lieutenant General Tao Duc Thang in a statement. “With the right strategy, focused resources and sustained commitment, we can steadily close the gap and move towards mastering technologies of strategic importance to our country.”

Meanwhile, Viettel is also building a semiconductor fab in Hoa Lac High Tech Park in Hanoi as part of broader efforts to develop domestic capabilities across chip design, manufacturing and packaging. Tao said that Viettel aims to further advance its chip design capabilities, laying the foundation for future dual-use chips in AI, 6G, smart cameras, IoT, UAVs, and robotics.

The company’s R&D arm, Viettel High Tech produced its first 5G chipset in late 2023 for its domestic 5G equipment ecosystem.

In 2024, Vietnam’s then-prime minister Pham Minh Chinh issued a directive urging Viettel, VNPT, MobiFone, and Gtel Mobile to take the lead on semiconductor chip research, development, and production as part of the government’s semiconductor growth strategy.