Back in 2018, when the winds of the Fourth Industrial Revolution were sweeping across Vietnam with the three main pillars being Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and Big Data, FPT saw AI as the beating heart of this era.

Sustainable AI development, whether for a company or a nation, rests on a robust tripod: human resources, data, and machines. Among these, human capital plays a key factor. That is why FSOFT, the backbone of FPT’s technological prowess, has taken on the critical mission of building the AI team and capabilities of the future, forging the vanguard of a new technological era.

Roughly six years ago, various units within FSOFT applied AI technology to enhance labor productivity and improve customer experience. However, AI knowledge was fragmented while AI personnel within the company lacked connectivity due to project confidentiality and shortage of information sharing mechanisms. Even collaborations with external partners fell short. To harness the full potential of AI, FSOFT made a decisive move: appointing an “AI leader” to unify the company’s expertise.

In 2019, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phong – Top 50 leading scientists of a major corporation in Japan, accepted the role of Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO) at FSOFT. Recognizing the need for a solid foundation to strengthen AI capabilities, Phong proposed the establishment of an R&D AI research center at FSOFT, marking the strategic steps in AI for the future.

In 2020, FPT, FSOFT’s parent company, made history as the first Southeast Asian tech player to form a strategic partnership with Mila, the world’s premier AI research institute. This powerhouse collaboration focuses on four key areas: Research and development to enhance FPT’s AI technology capabilities; Strategic consulting based on Mila’s extensive experience to establish the FPT.AI Research Center in Vietnam, specifically in Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh); Training and exchanging high-quality AI human resources, providing opportunities and prerequisites for international exposure, enhancing technological capabilities on a global scale; and Exploring business development opportunities in Mila’s partner ecosystem.

Thanks to this game-changing collaboration, FSOFT’s AI workforce is maturing further with guidance from Professor Yoshua Bengio, the Director of Mila, a pioneer in the field of deep learning, and one of the founding members for the development of artificial intelligence.

Not only building an elite AI team for its own purposes, FSOFT also aims to cultivate a passionate generation of future AI leaders, ready to push the boundaries of what’s possible through the FPT Software AI Residency program.

“It’s not easy for Vietnam to attract leading AI scientists from abroad, and even some Vietnamese individuals with expertise may go abroad for research and study. We need to build our own pipeline of skilledAI  engineers and entrepreneurs, capable of steering the AI revolution for Vietnam,” Professor Yoshua Bengio, Director of Mila Research Institute, affirmed.

Creating its own “army,” FSOFT AI Residency was established with the goal of nurturing the development of young talents in AI & Machine Learning research. The program is designed for candidates with outstanding achievements, such as winning medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad, Gold and Silver medals at the National Mathematical Olympiad, valedictorian of the university, etc.

Joining FSOFT, these bright minds will become integral members of a vibrant network that includes professors, doctors, leading AI experts worldwide. At the end of the AI Residency program, members will publish their research at prestigious international conferences.

In 2022, surpassing over 4,000 articles, FSOFT AI Residency members showcased articles as “short presentations” at the world’s most prestigious conference on machine learning and artificial intelligence (ICML). The author team stood shoulder-to-shoulder with representatives from leading technology giants like Google and Facebook to directly present their research content.

Going beyond personal dreams, the AI Residency program stands as a beacon of collective purpose, gathering top professors, and experts worldwide, many of whom are Vietnamese. Together, they satisfy their desire for connection while sharing, and pushing young talents to conquer new technological frontiers.

With human resources prepared for the present and future, FSOFT is investing heavily in infrastructure. In 2023, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Research, Production, and Technology Expert Training Center Complex in Quy Nhon is a testament to their commitment. This billion-dollar, 15-hectare complex will be a bustling hub for work, research, learning, and collaboration for 20,000 tech talents. It is an ecosystem designed to  contribute to the development of high-quality human resources, attract international expertise, and solidify Quy Nhon as a Southeast Asian AI powerhouse.

As 2024 unfolds, AI has become the “changing wind” within FSOFT. Recently, the company celebrated its 30,000th member, surpassed the $1 billion revenue milestone, and officially joined the ranks of large-scale IT businesses globally. With a threefold increase in the number of employees in less than 10 years, the company faces significant challenges in management, especially in enhancing employee engagement. In response to this challenge, the AI Center (AIC) and the Internal Operations & Digital Transformation Office (iDO) at FSOFT have researched and developed an AI-powered solution to keep personnel engaged and thriving.

“By leveraging AI, we gain deeper insights into what makes our people happy at FSOFT, providing the HR department with data-driven suggestions,” shared Phong. The application of AI not only boosts HR’s efficiency but, more importantly, eliminates the subjectivity inherent in human analysis, ensuring objective and transparent information.

Recently, AIC launched CodeVista, specifically designed for programmers – the backbone of FSOFT. CodeVista promises to become their ultimate coding companion, helping with tasks like code documentation, specialized knowledge queries, debugging, and even generating automated test equations.

Developed in-house, CodeVista guarantees the highest security standards, ensuring all data interactions comply with customer terms. “The future of programming will be reshaped by AI,” Mr. Phong asserts, “but at FSOFT, we’re confident in leading the charge, equipping our programmers with AI tools that empower them, not replace them. FSOFT is that we do not leave anyone behind!”

In addressing the challenge of improving the quality of personnel, FSOFT’s CAIO pointed out that thorough AI research is a solid foundation. Following that direction, FSOFT’s AI team is supported, invested in, and has achieved significant success in research, business collaboration, and internal application. FSOFT’s AI research projects have been well-received by the global AI scientific community.

In 2022, FSOFT’s AI research soared to the top benchmark on Microsoft CodeXGLUE – Microsoft Research’s renowned standard,  focusing on creating AI for code-related problems (code intelligence). This is considered the third wave of AI, attracting attention from major companies such as Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, or Meta due to its potential to revolutionize the software programming industry (Software 2.0).

At the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2023, representatives from FSOFT received a coveted nomination in the esteemed category of outstanding research. Moreover, at the International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing (ICASSP) belonging to the world’s largest technical professional association dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, FSOFT was honored to be in the Top 3% of the best research papers.

In the realm of business and investment, FSOFT has demonstrated impressive agility in capitalizing on strategic opportunities in the AI landscape. In 2023, FPT, FSOFT’s parent company, became a strategic shareholder with Landing AI, a world-class AI startup led by Dr. Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera and Head of Google Brain. In the same year, FSOFT’s inclusion as a founding member of the Global AI Alliance, alongside industry titans like IBM and Meta, underscores its commitment to collaborative innovation.

By aligning itself with global leaders in both research and business, FSOFTconfidently takes steps to master the latest AI technologies. No longer a mere executor, iIt now stands as a master of cutting-edge AI technologies, empowered to package its expertise into customizable solutions that address real-world challenges. Notably, FSOFT has secured a prestigious clientele in the automotive, financial, and service industries, spanning the United States and Japan, who entrust it with leveraging the power of AI to navigate industry challenges.

PwC estimates that AI could contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, equivalent to a 14% growth in the current global GDP. This growth mainly stems from increased labor productivity, the creation of new jobs, and the optimization of production processes.

The transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as defined by the OECD, is redefining the very essence of work. Within the financial and manufacturing sectors alone, staggering figures of 66% and 72% of workers, respectively, have witnessed AI automate tasks once conducted by human hands. Remarkably, this revolution extends beyond mere automation, forging entirely new career paths uncharted by humans before.

According to the OECD, the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is redefining the essence of work, restructuring tasks to higher standards. In the financial and manufacturing sectors, 66% and 72% of workers, respectively, have witnessed AI automate tasks once conducted by human hands. Remarkably, this revolution extends beyond mere automation, forging entirely new career paths uncharted by humans before.

In the coming years, AI will become crucial for any business. According to Statista’s forecast, the AI market is booming exponentially: growing by 47% in 2024, followed by continuous growth of over 20% by 2026.

Anticipating the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, FSOFT ascends to the forefront of global innovation, gradually conquering international peaks in AI.

“The trend in the future is to develop safe and responsible AI. Before long, countries will soon have stringent standards for all businesses and organizations using AI in products. For which, FSOFT is strategically prepared to get ahead of this wave. With thorough research and investment, FSOFT will be one of the leading providers of AI services and solutions worldwide,” shared FSOFT’s CAIO.

Furthermore, Mr. Phong expects FSOFT to become a leading force in AI integration into the younger generation of Vietnam. They will be exposed to, learn, and train in AI from the basic education level, guided by the world’s top experts. This lays the foundation for the future generation of Vietnam to quickly meet the highest standards in the industry. Consequently, AI will become a strength of the Vietnamese people, capable of creating specialized AI models, leveraging Vietnam as a key player in the global AI arena.

Author: Minh Tuyết
Editor: Thanh Nga
Designer: Duyên Hà