Equinix to pad Thai coffers with $500 million investment

Another Asian country declares ambition to be a tech hub

Thailand has won a pair of high profile investments that boost its ambition to become a hub for datacenters and semiconductor manufacturing.

One of these is a ten-year long 16.5 billion baht ($490 million) commitment from California-headquartered datacenter giant Equinix. The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) proclaimed the investment will center Thailand as a digital hub for the Greater Mekong Subregion – which includes countries like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and parts of China that are connected by the Mekong River.

Equinix has acquired 18,700 square meters of land near Bangkok on which it will build two datacenters, providing capacity for over 3,375 cabinets.

The first phase of the project, worth 7.18 billion baht ($213 million), is slated to be open for service in 2027, according to BOI.

Printed circuit board (PCB)-maker Mektec has also chosen to invest – to the tune of 920 million baht ($27.3 million) – with an eye on developing demand for its electronic devices, especially in electric vehicles.

The investment board boasted that Thailand has become the top source of PCB production in the ASEAN bloc, and scored a top five ranking globally. It also revealed there are currently 47 projects applying for investment promotion, with an estimated collective 173 billion baht ($5.13 billion) value.

Late last week Thailand's prime minister, Paethongtarn Shinawatra, signed into existence a National Semiconductor Board, which he will personal chair. The board, composed of key government and industry leaders, is tasked with making Thailand a top player in semiconductor manufacturing in the region. Shinawatra's involvement signals the government's deep commitment to the goal.

The board's responsibilities include setting industry policies, creating a roadmap for investment and skilled workforce development, and strengthening the supply chain. It will also evaluate plans related to semiconductor development and present them to the cabinet. ®