Google eyes Vietnamese AI expansion with large language model

Updated: 11:51, 13/02/2025

Google is seeking to collaborate with the Vietnamese government and local organizations to develop a large-scale AI language model.

The proposal was presented by Google Vietnam representatives at a technology conference in Hanoi on Tuesday. Marc Woo, general director of Google Vietnam, said the Vietnamese AI industry had achieved significant growth.

Google logo at the company's event in Vietnam, July 2024.

"However, to achieve a breakthrough, a well-trained workforce and skilled businesses proficient in AI technology are crucial."

AI's power lies in its data and models, he said, pointing to Google’s substantial investment in large language models (LLMs).

"These models perform best when trained on diverse, high-quality Vietnamese data.

"We hope to collaborate with the government, organizations, and universities to develop a modern language model that embodies the essence of the Vietnamese language."

Commending Vietnam’s efforts to develop an open national data system, the Google executives expressed readiness to share insights and collaborate on AI development. To strengthen human resources, Woo said Google would continue to offer scholarships and organize AI training programs.

The company also plans to provide free access to Google Workspace and Classroom tools for students and teachers, he said.

While many AI chatbots support Vietnamese, their language processing levels vary.

A report in January on LLMs using the Vietnamese Machine Learning Understanding benchmark found that at least 45 Vietnamese-language AI models had been developed by both local and international companies by late 2024.

The leading models include Meta’s Llama-3-70B, Zalo AI’s KiLM-13b-v24.7.1 and OpenAI’s GPT-4, all of which outperform Google’s Gemma and Gemini in Vietnamese language proficiency.