National —
On September 30th, 2024, Mrs. Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, announced a 36 billion baht investment to expand cloud infrastructure and data centers in Bangkok and Chonburi.
This significant investment is aimed at meeting the growing demand for cloud services in Southeast Asia and globally, while also promoting Thailand’s role in the AI economy.
Google’s expansion will support not only its cloud services but also AI innovations and popular services like Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Workspace, which are used by billions worldwide. As part of its “Leave No Thai Behind” mission, Google aims to make digital and AI skills more accessible to all Thais, helping to drive the country’s digital transformation, according to Porat.
According to a Deloitte study, this investment is expected to generate 14,000 new jobs and boost Thailand’s economy by 140 billion baht by 2029. The infrastructure expansion will serve both local and international needs, ensuring Thailand remains a key player in the regional cloud and AI landscape.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her gratitude to Google for trusting in Thailand’s potential and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting this collaboration.
Paetongtarn emphasized that the partnership aligns with the Cloud First Policy, which focuses on improving public data management and services. The Thai government also aims to promote AI literacy in line with international standards, ensuring the public gains a deeper understanding of the technology.
This latest announcement follows the 2022 agreement between Google Cloud and Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, which laid the foundation for stronger digital competitiveness and cloud adoption.
The Thai government is committed to advancing these collaborations, continuing efforts initiated under former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to further enhance Thailand’s digital landscape.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
