The IoT chip design, based on CMOS and III/V semiconductor technologies, marks a strategic milestone in CT Group’s journey toward mastering semiconductor innovation.
On June 29, CT Group held a series of events to celebrate its 33rd anniversary (June 29, 1992 – June 29, 2025), conclude the first three-year phase of its second 30-year development cycle, and announce several key plans for the second half of the year.
A highlight of the celebration was the unveiling of the IoT chip design, developed by CT Group’s team of engineers based on CMOS and III/V semiconductor technologies. This marks a strategic step forward in the Group’s journey toward mastering core technologies.
CT Group is currently building a dedicated chip design house focused on the research and development of AI chips, IoT chips, and application-specific chips in key sectors such as UAVs, defense, 5G/6G, and sensor technology.
In parallel, the Group is also investing in the development of proprietary IP cores and functional modules to support SoC (System on Chip) design, enabling full control over the semiconductor design process. The IP core technologies are centered on chip types such as ADC/DAC (using modulation methods like FSK, LoRa, and OFDM), NPU (Neural Processing Unit), and DSP (Digital Signal Processor), with high flexibility and scalability tailored to specific technologies and application needs.
Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc – Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, and Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee (right), and Mr. Tran Kim Chung – Chairman of CT Group (left), at the unveiling ceremony of the Vietnamese-developed IoT chip design
In addition to chip design, CT Group aims to master photolithography technology a critical step in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Currently operating under a fabless model (designing chips domestically while outsourcing photolithography abroad), the Group is actively building a global partnership network with leading photolithography providers.
To move toward technological autonomy, CT Group is developing a team of both domestic and international engineers and experts, while proposing a public–private partnership (PPP) model in which the government invests in equipment and enterprises are responsible for operations and technology development. With the right support, the Group aims to complete the full process chain from design and photolithography to assembly, packaging, and testing for strategic chip lines by 2030, particularly in the fields of national defense and security, thereby contributing to ensuring Vietnam’s chip sovereignty.
The Group has also established ATP (Assembly, Testing, Packaging) facilities as part of its roadmap to achieve full independence in chip production. CT Semiconductor, a member company of CT Group, is currently developing three ATP plants (two in southern Vietnam and one in the north), two R&D centers (in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi), along with two customer support centers in Silicon Valley (California, USA) and Phoenix (Arizona, USA).
According to a CT Group representative, alongside building production infrastructure and expanding its global partner network, the Group is shaping a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem creating strong momentum to accelerate the sustainable and in-depth growth of Vietnam’s semiconductor industry.
In terms of market readiness, CT Group already has product pipelines for chips across several high-demand sectors such as UAVs, IoT, near-space economy, and defense. The Group is also deploying smart city ecosystems with AI-enabled cameras, sensor networks, energy control modules, and monitoring systems all of which require high-performance AI and IoT chips. Notably, CT UAV, a leading division in unmanned aerial vehicle development, is actively testing and applying proprietary chips designed by CT Group.
On the talent front, CT Group’s engineering team boasts extensive experience in semiconductor design. The Group partners with leading institutions such as Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Can Tho University to develop talent pipelines and collaborates with overseas Vietnamese and international experts as senior technical advisors.
In terms of infrastructure, CT Group is supported by a closed-loop ecosystem comprising research centers, training institutes, production facilities, and ATP plants, ready to handle chip packaging and testing. The Group is also committed to long-term, sustainable investment in the semiconductor industry, with a focused roadmap for chip development in strategic areas including telecommunications, AI, IoT, UAVs, and 5G/6G in full alignment with Vietnam’s national strategy for semiconductor technology.
CT Group has successfully built domestic capabilities to design complex chip lines utilizing advanced 2 nm CMOS technology. An ADC converts analog signals from sensors such as sound, light, and temperature into digital data that the chip can process. In contrast, a DAC converts digital data back into analog signals to control devices like speakers, motors, or other external components. Without ADCs and DACs, processing chips including AI chips would be unable to interface with the physical world.
These converters are extensively used across a wide range of sectors, including healthcare (e.g., ultrasound machines, heart rate monitors), defense (e.g., radar systems, weapon control), smart agriculture (e.g., sensors, automated irrigation systems), intelligent vehicles (e.g., cameras, LiDAR sensors), and compact AI-powered devices such as smart microphones and speakers.
