$1B usage commitments underpin G42 Vietnam AI hub deal
Project to be one of Southeast Asia’s largest data centre deployments
#Vietnam #datacentres – Abu Dhabi AI powerhouse G42 and a consortium comprising Vietnam’s largest information technology services company FPT Corporation and consumer-focused conglomerate Viet Thai Group have signed a Framework Cooperation Agreement backed by consumption commitments of up to $1 billion to develop sovereign AI capabilities and cloud infrastructure across Vietnam. The partnership, formalised in Ho Chi Minh City, will deploy significant cloud capacity across three data centre locations delivering high-performance AI and cloud services to support public and private sector workloads whilst ensuring national data sovereignty and digital resilience. The initiative aims to position Vietnam as an AI-native society and leading AI hub in Southeast Asia.
SO WHAT? – The agreement follows news reported in July 2025 that G42 and Vietnam partners were seeking government approval for a $2 billion data centre project. G42 executives made multiple visits to Vietnam last year, meeting both investment partners and government officials about the planned data centre project. The Abu Dhabi-based AI group has been successful in forming data centre projects around the world, by bringing a combination of expertise, global technology partnerships and access to capital. The project serves Vietnam's critical need for data centre capacity as the country transitions towards a digital economy and could establish Vietnam as a regional AI hub.
Here are some key points about the data centre project:
G42 and a consortium comprising Vietnam’s FPT Corporation and consumer-focused conglomerate Viet Thai Group have signed a Framework Cooperation Agreement for what will be one of South East Asia’s largest AI infrastructure projects, spanning data centres in three locations.
The total project investment was not disclosed, but the agreement is backed by $1 billion commitment to deploy AI and cloud infrastructure with full data sovereignty. In July 2025, it was reported by Vietnamese media that the project was targeting a total investment of $2 billion.
The Framework Cooperation Agreement establishes the legal, financial, and regulatory framework required to advance deployment across Vietnam, with the partners commending the Government of Vietnam for forward-thinking approaches in advancing regulatory frameworks that enable hyperscale data centre deployment and public cloud adoption.
Following the Framework Agreement signing, the consortium and G42 will advance to finalizing workload distribution between public and private sectors, securing regulatory approvals for public cloud adoption, and commencing site development for data centre infrastructure across the three Vietnamese locations.
The Ho Chi Minh City data centre is expected to be one of G42’s largest AI infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia. The initiative expected to generate significant economic impact through direct infrastructure investment, job creation, and positioning Vietnam as a strategic technology hub for the region.
The partnership includes plans for national AI skilling and workforce development programmes designed to support AI adoption across government, industry, and academia, extending beyond pure infrastructure development to build Vietnam’s domestic AI capabilities and talent pipeline.
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 whilst respecting national sovereignty across deployment locations.
FPT’s two existing AI Factories located in Japan and Vietnam ranked 36th and 38th respectively in the Top 500 High Performance Computing systems announced in June 2025, with the company recording consolidated revenue of VND 70,113 billion and profit before tax of VND 13,039 billion by end of 2025.
FPT Corporation, which operates across more than 30 countries, provides deep technical expertise and local market knowledge, whilst Viet Thai Group, operating over 2,000 retail outlets in 30 countries including its national champion Highlands Coffee brand, contributes strategic capabilities and cross-sector insights to complement G42’s advanced AI infrastructure capabilities.
The Vietnam government encourages both domestic and foreign enterprise co-investment in data centres, 5G networks, and shared infrastructure to support national digital transformation goals.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
IMAGE DESCRIPTION - (Left to Right) 1. David Thai, Founder and CEO, Viet Thai Group 2. His Excellency Badr Al Matrooshi, Ambassador of the UAE to Vietnam 3. Ali Al Amine, Chief Commercial Officer, G42 International 4. Dr. Truong Gia Binh, Chairman, FPT Corporation 5. Nguyen Van Duoc, Chairman, Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee 6. His Excellency Mansoor Al Mansoori, CEO, G42 International 7. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Vice Chairman, Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee 8. Tu Vu Anh, CTO, FPT Corporation.
Read more about G42’s activities in Asia:
G42 plans $2 billion Vietnam data centre (Middle East AI News)
Malaysia signs strategic AI agreement with Presight (Middle East AI News)
Thailand’s TIDC partners with G42 to boost infrastructure (Middle East AI News)
G42 to deploy 2GW data centre and supercomputer in India (Middle East AI News)