Etix Itel Bangkok Co, operator of ETIX Bangkok#1 data centre, plans to invest nearly US$20 million to expand its capacity to capitalise on the growth of cloud services and the digital transformation trend in Thailand.
The wave of global cloud providers investing in Thailand is fuelling growth of the digital economy.
"We will expand our existing data centre ETIX Bangkok#1 in the third and fourth phases to serve demand in both local and international markets," said Nuttanai Anuntarumporn, chief executive of Interlink Telecom Plc (ITEL).
The data centre is in its second phase with a capacity of 0.6 megawatts and 85% occupation. The company expects to see fully occupied capacity in the next quarter and is preparing for the third phase worth $11 million to boost capacity by an additional 1.5MW in the fourth quarter of 2024.
In the fourth phase it will invest $8 million in 2025 to further boost capacity by another 1.3MW.
ITEL owns 33.3% of Etix Itel Bangkok Co, its joint venture with Etix Everywhere, the Australia-based data centre provider.
"In the first year of operation we hit two phases by doubling capacity with 250 million baht of investment," he said.
Mr Nuttanai acknowledged global cloud providers from the US, Europe and China have invested in the construction of their own data centres in Thailand. He said Etix can offer alternative data centres with ready to use capacity and scalability, with efficient energy usage.
Data centre customers require energy saving and carbon neutrality to comply with sustainability goals.
Mr Nuttanai said in the next two years, the supply of data centres would experience stronger demand and data centres need to capture customers since they are still small companies and they can grow together with them.
Demand for data centres will continue to grow as organisations continue to adopt digital transformation.
Apart from foreign cloud operators and over-the-top players, the company's customers also include state and private organisations, said Mr Nuttanai, adding that state agencies are adopting digitisation to increase transparency and improve operational efficiency.
He expects Etix Itel Bangkok to break-even this year with 200 million baht revenue.
ITEL also signed a cooperation agreement with Edge Centres, a data centre provider from Australia, to establish a data centre in Chiang Mai called "EC61" (E-C-Sixty-One).
"ITEL can earn revenue by providing data centre services to serve mid-size innovators and software developers in Chiang Mai," Mr Nuttanai said.