Thailand secures 98.5 billion baht for data centres, cloud projects

Government backing for investments in data centres and cloud service projects in Thailand aims to position the nation as a digital economy hub, according to government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin considers these investments crucial for the digital economy’s growth and believes they will establish Thailand as a significant investment destination for the international community.

Transforming Thailand into a digital economy hub is one of eight objectives outlined in the government’s Ignite Thailand vision. The Board of Investment (BOI) echoes the prime minister’s commitment, engaging in discussions with major private organisations interested in investing in the country.

The BOI has already approved investments in 37 data centre and cloud service projects across various provinces, including Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Chon Buri, and Rayong. The total investment for these projects has surpassed 98.5 billion baht.

Leading global companies are among the investors. The United States Amazon Web Service is developing three data centres with a budget of 25 billion baht. Singapore’s Evolution Data Center and Japan’s Telehouse have invested 4 billion baht and 2.7 billion baht, respectively.

Investors in cloud service projects include Alibaba Cloud and Huawei Technologies, contributing 4 billion baht and 3 billion baht, respectively.

Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Center (EIC) forecasts a 24% growth in Thailand’s data centre market and a 29% increase in the public cloud service market this year, indicating strong sector prospects, said Chai.

“The prime minister is confident in Thailand’s readiness and potential. He has been actively working on policies to lay a foundation for a digital economy.”

The fact that the world’s largest companies have invested in Thai data centres and cloud service projects is a testament to the country’s opportunity to become a digital economy hub as Chai added, reported Bangkok Post.

In related news, the CrowdStrike glitch that disrupted 8.5 million Microsoft devices globally sparked the business community into action.

The recent global IT outage brought to light the critical necessity for both public and private organisations to establish comprehensive business continuity management plans, IT disaster recovery strategies, and rigorous system testing between security software vendors and their clients.