The 16-story building, located in a complex covering 1.1 hectares in Tay Ho District, will host all research and development activities.

Its R&D staff of 2,220 will increase to 3,000 when the building is completed in 2022, the company stated. The facility will focus on developing Samsung products and research into artificial intelligence and 5G.

Samsung said it has invested over $17 billion into Vietnam. It operates two smartphone factories in the north and a household product manufacturing hub in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam’s exports of smartphones and spare parts, mostly produced by Samsung Electronics, rose 4.4 percent from 2018 to $51.38 billion last year, according to customs data.