Google announced on Monday its plan to invest 36 billion Thai baht ($1 billion USD) in Thailand, marking a significant expansion in Southeast Asia.
The investment will go toward building a new data centre and expanding cloud infrastructure in the region, positioning Thailand as a key player in Google's global AI and cloud computing strategy.
The new data centre which will be located in Chonburi province, will be Google’s first in Thailand. It aims to support the increasing demand for Google Cloud services and AI innovations, along with popular applications like Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Workspace.
According to Jackie Wang, Google's Thailand country lead, the investment will also unlock new opportunities for Thai businesses and educators, helping to up-skill locals in the use of advanced technologies like AI.
The investment reflects Google's strategic focus on Asia, where it faces competition from tech giants such as Microsoft and OpenAI. As artificial intelligence continues to revolutionise industries globally, Google is making moves to strengthen its cloud infrastructure and maintain its competitive edge in the region.
The company has been under pressure from generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which challenge Google's dominance in search technologies.
In a 2023 report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, Thailand’s digital economy was noted as the second-largest in Southeast Asia, with projections to reach $50 billion by 2025. Google’s investment aligns with this growth trajectory, focusing on AI-driven transformation across industries and contributing to Thailand’s digital future.
Google’s expansion in Thailand comes amid a broader competitive landscape, as it recently filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft with the European Commission, accusing the company of undermining competition in the cloud computing industry.