Cloud Giants Commit Billions to Thailand Data Centres
AWS opened in January 2025 and Google in January 2026, Microsoft is still building, and the BOI approved THB 842 billion for TikTok alone in May 2026.
Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft have each now committed more than $1 billion to Thailand, and the government's investment board has approved data centre projects worth far more than that. Two of the three cloud regions were open by January 2026. Microsoft's was still being built when it announced its plan in March.
Two regions open, one to come
AWS was first. Its Asia Pacific (Thailand) Region became generally available on 7 January 2025, with three Availability Zones, which are separate facilities inside a region, each with its own power and cooling. AWS says it plans to invest more than $5 billion in Thailand and gives no period for that figure. By its own estimate, its planned investments over the next 15 years add about $10 billion to Thai GDP and support an average of 11,000 full-time-equivalent jobs a year in local businesses. Named early customers include the payments firm 2C2P and Ascend Money, which cut compute costs by 70%.
Google followed. Google Cloud launched its Bangkok region on 21 January 2026, with three zones, bringing its total to 43 regions. It is part of the $1 billion Google announced in September 2024. Google projects THB 1.4 trillion in economic value over five years and an average of 130,000 jobs a year. Those are Google's own estimates. KASIKORN Business-Technology Group and True Digital Group are early users, and Google's launch notes cite compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act as a reason for keeping data in the country.
Microsoft is third. DatacenterDynamics reported that vice chair and president Brad Smith committed more than $1 billion over two years on 31 March 2026, after meeting Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Its Thai cloud region had not launched at that point. A later report from TechDay dates the spending to 2026 to 2028 and names partners Gulf Development, Advanced Info Service, Charoen Pokphand Group, True Corporation and True Internet Data Centre. Microsoft also plans to upskill and certify 150,000 workers. It had earlier committed $2.85 billion in 2023, with no timeline.
What the investment board approved
The Board of Investment (BOI) numbers are bigger and measure something different: approved plans, not money spent. Law firm Tilleke & Gibbins reports that the BOI approved projects worth THB 1.87 trillion in 2025, of which THB 746 billion was planned data centre investment, the largest share for any single industry.
In the first half of 2025 the BOI reported 28 data centre projects worth THB 521.2 billion, according to W.Media. Six approvals in May and June, worth THB 115.4 billion and about 740 MW of IT load, included Digital Edge DC at THB 24.52 billion in Chonburi and Stratus Technology at 203 MW in Rayong.
For applications filed from 1 July 2025, new rules split tax breaks by energy efficiency. A data centre that meets power usage effectiveness standards gets an eight-year corporate income tax exemption. Others get five years.
In a release dated 6 May 2026, the BOI said it approved six projects worth THB 958 billion, three of them data centres worth THB 913 billion:
- TikTok System (Thailand): THB 842 billion, adding servers and storage in Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Chachoengsao
- Skyline Data Center and Cloud Services, part of DAMAC Group: THB 46 billion, 200 MW in Chachoengsao
- Bridge Data Centres: THB 24.6 billion, 134 MW in Chonburi
Power is the constraint
The BOI's own release is blunt about the limit. At the same meeting, the board discussed urgent power supply needs in the Eastern region with the Ministry of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission, and asked for a faster Power Development Plan. BOI Secretary General Narit Therdsteerasukdi said speed, power readiness, clean energy access and skilled talent will be decisive for the new investment cycle.
For a Thai company choosing where to run workloads, the change is practical. Two major clouds now offer a Thai region, which lets regulated firms keep data in the country. The BOI figures are intentions. The thing to watch is how much of the approved capacity gets built and connected to the grid, and when Microsoft's region goes live.
FAQ
Which cloud providers have a Thai region?
AWS opened one on 7 January 2025 and Google Cloud on 21 January 2026. Microsoft's Thai region had not launched when it announced its $1 billion plan in March 2026, and the sources reviewed do not report a launch since.
How much are AWS, Google and Microsoft investing in Thailand?
AWS plans more than $5 billion, Google $1 billion announced in 2024, and Microsoft more than $1 billion from 2026 to 2028. The figures cover different periods and scopes.
What did the BOI approve for data centres in 2025?
The BOI approved projects worth THB 1.87 trillion in 2025, with THB 746 billion of it planned data centre investment. These are approved plans, not spending.
Sources
- AWS News Blog: Announcing the new AWS Asia Pacific (Thailand) Region
- Amazon: AWS launches infrastructure region in Thailand
- Google Cloud: Google Cloud launches new cloud region in Thailand
- DatacenterDynamics: Google launches cloud region in Bangkok, Thailand
- Google Cloud: Google announces plans to invest US$1 billion in Thailand, 30 September 2024
- DatacenterDynamics: Microsoft commits $1bn to cloud and AI infrastructure in Thailand
- TechDay: Microsoft pledges USD 1 billion for Thailand AI hub
- Tilleke & Gibbins: Data Center Investments under Thailand's Updated Incentive Criteria
- W.Media: Thailand data center investments hit US$16.1 billion from 28 projects in 1H 2025
- Thailand Board of Investment via Newsfile: Thailand approves $29 billion investment wave
