Da Nang Launches the 2026 Central Vietnam Extended FPGA & MCU Design Competition

On the morning of June 29, the Da Nang Semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Training (DSAC), under the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology, launched the 2026 Central Vietnam Extended FPGA & MCU Design Competition. The launching ceremony was attended by representatives from local departments, agencies, universities, colleges, tech enterprises, and a large number of local students.

Overview

This is the second consecutive year that the competition is held, continuing the success of the first season in 2025. The most prominent new feature this year is that the scope of the competition is expanded to include universities and colleges in the Central region, establishing a large-scale academic forum aimed at fostering research, creativity, and human resources development in the fields of semiconductor microchips, embedded systems, and artificial intelligence.

Up to the launching milestone, the Organizing Committee has recorded 45 registered teams, demonstrating the increasing attraction of the competition for students in Electrical & Electronics, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Automation, and other relevant sectors.

Mr. Le Son Phong, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology, speaking at the ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Le Son Phong, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology, emphasized that the competition is a practical initiative contributing to the city's strategy for developing the semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) industries. Da Nang is currently focusing on building an innovation ecosystem, turning these sectors into its new growth engines.

"The FPGA & MCU Design Competition not only provides an environment for students to unleash their creativity and master technology, but also strengthens the bond between universities and enterprises, contributing to the training of a high-quality workforce to meet the industry's future demands," he added.

Ms. Dao Thi Thanh Thao, Deputy Director in charge of DSAC, sharing her insights at the competition.

Sharing the significance of the competition, Ms. Dao Thi Thanh Thao, Acting Director of DSAC, stated that expanding the event's scale to the Central region is a crucial step toward building a strong academic and research community in FPGA, MCU, and IC (integrated circuit) design. The competition serves not only as a platform for students to demonstrate their specialized knowledge and technical skills, but also as an environment to access cutting-edge technologies, collaborate with industry experts and enterprises, and gradually develop a product-oriented mindset tailored to real-world market demands. The Organizing Committee hopes that each participating project will become a viable idea that can be further refined into practical applications, thereby expanding the talent pool and technological solutions for the city's semiconductor and AI ecosystem.

In addition to the competitive rounds, the Organizing Committee will roll out a series of free training programs, ranging from basic to advanced levels in FPGA and MCU. They will also provide hardware equipment, technical platforms, and corporate networking support to ensure the competing teams have the necessary resources for research and product development throughout the event.

According to the organizers, the competition aims to encourage students to research, design, and develop application solutions using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) and Microcontroller Units (MCU) in fields such as electronics, automation, manufacturing, smart cities, healthcare, transportation, and embedded systems.

This year's competition is spearheaded by DSAC in collaboration with the University of Technology and Education, alongside numerous enterprises in the semiconductor and electronics sectors. Within the framework of the launching ceremony, a technology exhibition, university-industry networking sessions, and an FPGA equipment donation event for training and research purposes were also held.

The Determination of Participating Teams

The competition will run from June to September 2026, featuring a total prize pool valued at up to 80 million VND. Through this event, the Organizing Committee expects to further inspire research and innovation movements among students. It also aims to strengthen university-industry linkages, ultimately contributing to the development of a high-quality workforce to serve the semiconductor, electronics, and artificial intelligence industries in Da Nang and the wider Central region.