BoI okays B66.9bn digital outlay

The Board of Investment (BoI) has approved new investments in data centre and electronic businesses worth 66.9 billion baht, paving the way for Thailand to become a regional digital innovation hub.
Two of the new projects belong to data centre operators: Quartz Computing Co, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google, and Digitalland Services (Thailand), a subsidiary of China-based GDS Holdings Ltd, a developer and operator of data centres in China and Southeast Asia.
Quartz Computing plans to spend 32.7 billion baht building a new data centre and cloud region in Chon Buri, scheduled to start commercial operation in early 2027.
“This will be its fifth data centre in Asia,” said Narit Therdsteerasukdi, secretary-general of the BoI, after the board’s meeting yesterday.
A data centre is a network of computers that stores, processes and distributes data, while a cloud region is an area where a cloud service provider operates a number of data centres simultaneously to improve performance.
The BoI approved Quartz Computing’s project after Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Alphabet, announced the investment plan in Thailand, following a meeting with Prime Minster Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Sept 30.
Google wants to develop a data centre and cloud region here under a US$1-billion investment.
The board also gave the green light to Digitalland Services’ investment project worth 28 billion baht.
The company will also build a data centre in Chon Buri, which is set to open in 2026.
Both Quartz Computing and Digitalland Services are developing hyperscale data centres, with high processing capabilities, to meet growing demand for cloud services from customers in Asean.
“The investment trend in data centres in Thailand continues to gather momentum. The new investments will strengthen digital infrastructure, helping make the country a digital innovation hub in Asean,” said Mr Narit.
The BoI has received applications for investment incentives for 47 projects, worth 173 billion baht, in data centres and cloud services from Thai companies and foreign companies from the US, China, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and India.
The board yesterday also approved a 6.1-billion-baht investment project submitted by Cheng Yi Technology (Thailand), which plans to produce prepreg and copper clad laminate, important components used in the production of printed circuit boards.