Google announced it will invest THB36 billion (US$1 billion) to build its first data centre and cloud region in Thailand to meet growing demand for connectivity services and foster the development of AI in Southeast Asia.
Google said in a blog the data centre will be located in Chonburi province and the cloud region (announced back in August 2022) in Bangkok. When available, the cloud region will enable government arms, SMEs, startups to tap into AI and ML resources.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (pictured, right) said the projects will accelerate Thailand’s emergence as a digital hub in Southeast Asia. Shinawatra noted the technology giant had trained millions of Thais in the last five years with digital skills and the latest developments will improve quality of life for all citizens.
Google said it had trained over 3.6 million Thais including students, educators, SMEs and software developers across its many development programmes. It is aiming to train another 150,000 people by 2026.
Ruth Porat (pictured left), Alphabet and Google President and Chief Investment Officer added the investment will drive economic growth for Thailand. The THB36 billion digital infrastructure projects are expected to contribute around THB140 billion (US$4.3 billion) to Thailand’s GDP by 2029 and create an average of 14,000 jobs per year from 2025, according to a Deloitte study.
