Vietnam's FPT Software Signs $500 Million AI Services Deal With Japanese Firms
Vietnam's Largest AI Export Deal
FPT Software, the IT services arm of Vietnamese conglomerate FPT Corporation, has signed a $500 million multi-year agreement to provide AI development and integration services to a consortium of Japanese companies. The deal, announced at the Japan-Vietnam Business Forum in Tokyo, covers AI deployment across manufacturing process optimization, banking operations, and insurance claims automation.
FPT Software CEO Pham Minh Tuan called the agreement "a milestone for Vietnam's technology export ambitions." The deal's value makes it one of the largest IT services contracts ever signed by a Vietnamese company.
Scope of Work
The consortium includes three major Japanese companies: a leading automaker, one of Japan's three megabanks, and a top-five insurance group. FPT declined to name the specific clients, citing confidentiality agreements. The work covers deploying computer vision systems for manufacturing quality control, developing AI models for credit scoring and fraud detection, and automating insurance document processing using large language models.
FPT will draw on its 30,000-strong engineering workforce, of which approximately 4,500 are based in Japan across 13 offices. The company has been operating in Japan for 18 years and counts over 300 Japanese enterprises as clients.
Why Japan Chose Vietnam
Japan faces a severe IT talent shortage, with an estimated deficit of 790,000 IT workers by 2030, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Vietnamese IT companies have become critical partners for Japanese enterprises seeking affordable, skilled development resources.
Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) vice chairman Masakazu Tokura said Vietnamese IT firms "have earned trust through years of reliable delivery. This AI deal represents the next phase of that partnership."
Vietnam's IT Sector Growth
Vietnam's IT services exports reached $7.5 billion in 2024, up 23% from the previous year. Japan accounts for approximately 45% of that total, followed by the United States at 25% and the EU at 15%. The government has targeted $15 billion in IT exports by 2030.
FPT Corporation reported total revenue of $2.4 billion in the first nine months of 2025, with the software division contributing $1.3 billion. The company is investing heavily in AI capabilities, having established an AI research center in Hanoi with 200 researchers and partnerships with Nvidia and Google Cloud for GPU infrastructure.
