Etix Itel Bangkok invests US$20m in data centre expansion amid cloud services boom

Etix Itel Bangkok Co, the company behind the ETIX Bangkok#1 data centre, is set to invest nearly US$20 million in expanding its capacity to meet the increasing demand for cloud services and digital transformation in Thailand. The growth of the digital economy in the country has been bolstered by global cloud providers investing in the region.

Nuttanai Anuntarumporn, CEO of Interlink Telecom Plc (ITEL), said…

“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.”

The data centre is currently in its second phase, with a capacity of 0.6 megawatts and 85% occupancy. The company anticipates full capacity in the next quarter and is preparing for the third phase, worth US$11 million, which will increase capacity by an additional 1.5MW in the fourth quarter of 2024.

For the fourth phase, the company plans to invest US$8 million in 2025 to further boost capacity by another 1.3MW. ITEL owns a 33.3% stake in Etix Itel Bangkok Co, a joint venture with Australian data centre provider Etix Everywhere. Nuttanai said…

“In the first year of operation, we hit two phases by doubling capacity with an investment of 250 million baht.”

He acknowledged that global cloud providers from the US, Europe, and China have invested in constructing their own data centres in Thailand. Nuttanai highlighted that Etix can offer alternative data centres with ready-to-use capacity and scalability, as well as efficient energy usage. This is crucial for data centre customers who require energy-saving and carbon neutrality to comply with sustainability goals.

Nuttanai predicts that over the next two years, data centres will experience stronger demand, and they need to capture customers since they are still small companies that can grow together with them. The demand for data centres is expected to continue to rise as organisations adopt digital transformation.

In addition to foreign cloud operators and over-the-top players, Etix Itel Bangkok’s customers also include state and private organisations. Nuttanai said 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 in revenue, reported Bangkok Post.

Furthermore, ITEL has signed a cooperation agreement with Australian data centre provider Edge Centres to establish a data centre in Chiang Mai called “EC61” (E-C-Sixty-One). Nuttanai said…

“ITEL can earn revenue by providing data centre services to serve mid-size innovators and software developers in Chiang Mai.”