Almost 170,000 businesses in Vietnam — equivalent to 18% of the country’s total — have adopted artificial intelligence (AI), marking a 39% year-on-year increase, according to Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Unlocking Vietnam’s AI Potential study released on September 18.

The survey, which polled 1,000 business leaders and 1,000 members of the public, revealed that the productivity and economic potential of AI adoption are promising. Among businesses adopting AI, 61% reported revenue growth averaging 16%, while 58% expect cost savings of about 20%.

Start-ups were found to be leading AI innovation, with 55% integrating the technology. Of these, 35% are creating entirely new AI-driven products.

By comparison, 41% of large enterprises have adopted AI, but only 11% are delivering new AI-driven products and just 12% have developed a comprehensive AI strategy.