Vietnam–Korea Tech Partnership: Edge Ai marks a new step forward for Vietnamese technology

DNHN - On October 16, 2026, TPGroup Technology Corporation and South Korea’s Pebble Square, Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on research, development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) chip technology and edge AI computing.

The signing followed the Vietnam Digital Technology Forum in South Korea on October 1, 2026, chaired by Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology. The agreement sets a long-term framework for the two sides to combine their technological strengths, develop specialized AI solutions and gradually bring jointly researched products to the Vietnamese and international markets.
TPGroup Technology Corporation, a member of the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (VINASME) and a representative of the association’s 20 leading enterprises, has formally teamed up with Pebble Square, a South Korean technology company, to jointly research AI chips and edge AI computing, backed by US$7 million in investment. Pebble Vina, Pebble Square’s strategic partner for market expansion and technology localization in Vietnam, also attended the ceremony.

Mr. Lai Thien Phong, Chairman of the Board of TPGroup Technology Corporation, and representatives of Pebble Square and Pebble Vina at the MoU signing ceremony, marking the start of a program of cooperation in research, development and application of AI technology between the two sides
Mr. Lai Thien Phong, Chairman of the Board of TPGroup Technology Corporation, and representatives of Pebble Square and Pebble Vina at the MoU signing ceremony, marking the start of a program of cooperation in research, development and application of AI technology between the two sides.

Most AI today runs in the cloud. Yet many of its most valuable applications lie outside the data center: a UAV in mid-survey, a camera monitoring a construction site, a sensor measuring strain on a bridge, a disaster warning device. In such settings, a delay of a few seconds can rob an alert of its meaning. Network connections are not always stable, and not all data should be sent far away.
Edge AI addresses this problem by letting devices process and analyze data and support decision-making on the spot. That is the missing piece the two sides want to put together.
Vietnam’s TPGroup is strong in geospatial technology, surveying, digital twins, GNSS satellite positioning, UAVs and solutions for urban and infrastructure management. South Korea’s Pebble Square, represented in Vietnam by Pebble Vina, is strong in AI semiconductor chips, edge computing and specialized AI. One side holds the data and the real-world problems; the other holds the “brain” that processes data on site.

Technology expert Lai Thien Phong, a member of VINASME and Chairman of the Board of TPGroup Technology Corporation, stresses the goal of mastering core technologies and integrating into the international market
Technology expert Lai Thien Phong, a member of VINASME and Chairman of the Board of TPGroup Technology Corporation, stresses the goal of mastering core technologies and integrating into the international market.

Under the MoU, the two sides plan to cooperate on cyber-physical systems (CPS), smart cities, digital twins, 3D GIS, geospatial survey data processing, structural monitoring, disaster prevention and renewable energy infrastructure. Potential applications include integrating AI into UAVs, smart cameras, IoT sensors and urban digital twin platforms. Both sides acknowledge that these applications still require research, testing and evaluation before commercialization. 

Alongside the MoU, the two sides agreed in principle on a joint R&D program of five projects with a total estimated budget of US$7 million. The program runs in two phases:
2026: Project 1 will develop a customized AI chip based on Pebble Square’s Compute-in-Memory (CIM) technology and existing chip design assets, with an estimated budget of US$1 million.
2027: Four projects will follow: an integrated AI development and deployment platform, an AI-based electrical fire prevention solution, a customized large language model (LLM) and a cost-optimized LLM server, with a combined estimated budget of US$6 million.

Leaders and technology experts of Vietnam’s TPGroup, South Korea’s Pebble Square and Pebble Vina pose for a commemorative photo
Leaders and technology experts of Vietnam’s TPGroup, South Korea’s Pebble Square and Pebble Vina pose for a commemorative photo.

The roadmap moves from core hardware up to software, models and applications. Given the scale of first-phase funding, the likely near-term approach is to customize existing design assets rather than start from scratch, a practical way to shorten timelines and manage risk.
Sharing the strategic direction, Mr. Lai Thien Phong said: “We aim to gradually master core technologies, combining the research and development capabilities of international partners with TPGroup’s strengths in practical deployment, in order to develop highly applicable AI products that carry the Vietnamese brand and can compete in the international market.”

In the long term, the two sides hope to promote expert exchanges, engineer training, knowledge transfer and the development of AI modules in Vietnam. They will also discuss setting up a joint laboratory for AI semiconductor chips and edge AI.
If successful, the partnership could become a model for linking Vietnamese and Korean technology companies: one side strong in technology research, the other strong in solution development and attuned to market needs. The model could extend to other fields and help Vietnamese businesses take part more deeply in the global technology value chain.

By Dr.Nguyen Thuy Lan

Vietnamese Version: https://doanhnghiephoinhap.vn/hop-tac-doanh-nghiep-viet-han-edge-ai-va-buoc-tien-moi-cua-cong-nghe-viet-151974.html 

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