VIETNAM, June 5, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Samsung plans to invest up to $4 billion in a Vietnam chip-testing plant, according to company documents obtained by AFP on Friday, as the South Korean giant ramps up spending on semiconductors to meet demand driven by artificial intelligence.

Spanning nearly 266,000 square metres in an industrial park north of Hanoi, the facility will include two factories -- the first slated to begin partial operations in November 2027.

The second factory will commence operations in 2031, according to an investment registration document signed by authorities in Thai Nguyen province.

Samsung is Vietnam's largest foreign corporate investor, having sunk more than $23 billion into the Southeast Asian country, but this would be its first chip-testing facility there.

The AI boom is straining global memory chip supplies, as manufacturers prioritise chips for hyperscale data centres over less flashy chips used in everyday consumer electronics like phones and laptops.

The Vietnam facility will focus on legacy DRAM and NAND chips, the price of which have soared.

Samsung plans to invest nearly $1.5 billion developing the facility and up to $2.5 billion in future earnings from the project. It is expected to create around 3,750 jobs.

Samsung Electronics, one of the world's biggest memory chipmakers, reported record earnings in the first quarter of 2026.