More global technology firms are expected to set up data centres in Thailand next year thanks to the government encouraging the public and private sectors to embrace digital transformation through its Cloud First policy.
Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said the government's investment promotion and Cloud First policy have led foreign tech giants such as Google and Microsoft to invest more than 100 billion baht in artificial intelligence (AI) and data centres in Thailand this year.
"Two more major tech companies are expected to invest next year with an investment of no less than 100 billion baht," said Mr Prasert, who declined to identify the companies.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra recently announced the government's goal of making Thailand a regional AI hub as part of its "2025 Empowering Thais: A Real Possibility" campaign.
The Board of Investment said in November it approved two data centre investments worth more than 60 billion baht.
The investments were from Quartz Computing, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc, the US-based parent of Google, which allocated 32.8 billion baht for a new data centre in Thailand, while Digitalland Services, a subsidiary of Chinese tech firm GDS, is investing 28 billion baht in the establishment of its own data centre in Chon Buri.
Thailand is not alone in the race for AI supremacy. According to Reuters, Malaysia launched a national AI office this month aimed at shaping policies and addressing regulatory issues as it looks to establish itself as a regional hub for AI development.
Thailand's southern neighbour has secured billions of dollars in investment over the past year from global tech firms seeking to build critical infrastructure to cater to growing demand for their cloud and AI services.
