HANOI, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Nvidia ( NVDA ) and the

Vietnamese government will jointly set up an AI research and

development centre and an AI data centre in the Southeast Asian

country under an agreement signed on Thursday.

Nvidia ( NVDA ) also said it has acquired healthcare startup

VinBrain, a unit of Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup,

but didn't provide the value of the deal.

Nvidia ( NVDA ) CEO Jensen Huang said during a visit to Hanoi a year

ago that the artificial intelligence chipmaker wanted to expand

its partnerships with Vietnam's top tech firms and support the

country in training talent for developing AI and digital

infrastructure.

In April, Vietnamese tech firm FPT said it planned to build

a $200 million artificial intelligence factory using Nvidia's ( NVDA )

graphic chip and software.

Thursday's agreement between Nvidia ( NVDA ) and the Vietnamese

government was signed in Hanoi in the presence of Huang and

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. They did not give

financial details regarding the planned R&D centre and data

centre.

Chinh said AI would boost growth and that Vietnam also

wanted to use it to develop clean energy.

"We want to conquer not only AI, but also space and the

ocean," Chinh said. "AI will turn the sun, the wind and the

waves into clean energy for us."