Google announced on Monday that it plans to invest 36 billion Thai baht, equivalent to $1 billion, in Thailand to expand its presence in Asia. With the investment, Google plans to develop a data centre and expand Thailand’s cloud infrastructure. This will be Google’s first data centre in Chonburi, an eastern province of Thailand.
According to Jackie Wang, Google’s Thailand country lead these developments will “help support the growing demand for Google Cloud and AI innovations, as well as popular Google services such as Google Search, Google Maps and Google Workspace.” She further added, “As AI transforms industries, it is more important than ever to educate and upskill Thais to use this technology.”
Also read, What Makes Thailand the Best Place For Crypto Investment?
Google’s newly established data centers in Thailand will improve the company’s AI-driven services, such as search, maps, and workspace tools. Over the past 13 years, Google has been active in Thailand, training more than 3.6 million students, educators, developers, and small businesses in digital skills. Further, the data centres will create 14,000 jobs every year in the upcoming 5 years.
Why Did Google Choose Thailand?
According to the e-Conomy SEA report, Thailand ranks as Southeast Asia’s second-largest digital economy and is projected to hit $50 billion by 2025. Meanwhile, Google faces growing competition from Microsoft and OpenAI, with their generative AI products, ChatGPT and Co-Pilot, challenging Google’s dominance. These innovations are reshaping the competitive landscape in the AI space, pressuring Google to improve its offerings. The digital economy and AI advancements are set to drive significant transformations in the region’s tech ecosystem.
