Thailand and Austria have teamed up to develop the smart city initiative in the flagship Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
Uttama Savanayana, the Industry Minister, said both governments are in talks on future cooperation in EEC locations, which is a priority for the Thai government in upgrading the industrial sector.
"The Austrian government wants to help us promote the smart city project in Rayong. Austria is working on a smart city in Vienna," he said.
"We expect there will soon be technology transfers in our future smart city."
Mr Uttama said talks started last year when the ministry visited Austria, with Austrian representatives meeting with Thai officials last month to upgrade the smart city plan.
Under the EEC scheme, the government has approved a land plot of 18,000 rai for this flagship project. In the past, 30,000 rai had been set aside to facilitate investment in the country.
Moreover, the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has studied the feasibility of developing 1,500 rai for a smart park project serving 10 targeted industries: next-generation cars; smart electronics; affluent, medical and wellness tourism; agriculture and biotechnology; food; robotics for industry; logistics and aviation; biofuels and biochemicals; digital; and medical services.
The IEAT plans to spend 2 billion baht, starting construction in 2020.
Map Ta Phut in Rayong will also house a smart park, making it the first location for a high-tech project in the country.
Meanwhile, Huawei Technologies Co is in talks with the Thai government regarding business expansion via the EEC smart city project. TheChinese firm wantstoopen a second digital lab in the EEC after opening the first one in Bangkok last year, said the Industry Ministry.