Thailand has approved nine major investment projects worth a combined US$1.99 billion (66.3 billion baht) across AI, advanced electronics, aviation, clean energy and food, as global manufacturers continue to shift parts of their supply chains into Southeast Asia.

The approvals were cleared at a meeting of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) chaired by Ekniti Nitithanprapas, deputy prime minister and minister of finance.

The BOI has also expanded the role of its energy panel into the Subcommittee on Energy Management for Data Centre Investment and Project Screening. 

Chaired by the minister of energy, the subcommittee will screen data centre proposals based on power and resource consumption, environmental impact, and clean energy sourcing before investors can apply for tax incentives.

The largest share of the approved investment was in advanced electronics and digital infrastructure, led by companies linked to East Asia’s technology supply chains.

Datasection (Thailand), a subsidiary of Japan’s Datasection Inc., will invest US$235.2 million (7.8 billion baht) to develop high-performance GPU server infrastructure for data hosting in Bangkok and Pathum Thani. 

The capacity will support AI applications and digital businesses in Thailand and the wider region.

Doosan Electro-Materials (Thailand), a unit of South Korea’s Doosan Corp., will invest US$180.2 million (6 billion baht), in Samut Prakan to produce copper-clad laminate and prepreg, key materials used in printed circuit boards.

Taiwan Union Technology (Thailand) will invest US$189.2 million (6.3 billion baht), in Chonburi to manufacture copper-clad laminate and prepreg for AI servers and data centres. Fulltech Fiber Glass (Thailand) will invest US$99.4 million (3.3 billion baht) to produce specialised glass fibre fabric for printed circuit board manufacturing in Chachoengsao.

Outside the technology sector, Nestlé (Thai) will invest US$688.7 million (22.9 billion baht) to expand its coffee production facilities in Samut Prakan, covering instant, mixed, and ready-to-drink coffee for Thailand and regional Southeast Asian markets.

Thai Airways International PCL received approvals for two projects worth a combined US$430.2 million (14.3 billion baht) to lease eight passenger aircraft for its international network.

In energy infrastructure, Lomrak Green Energy will invest US$168.7 million (5.6 billion baht) in two wind power projects in Lopburi province. The projects will add a combined 120MW of capacity to Thailand’s electricity grid, supporting rising power demand from industrial users.

Thailand is also moving to support larger-scale data centre developments through a seven-point energy action plan. 

The measures include a dedicated power tariff for data centres, alignment of green energy targets with the country’s power development plan, support for clean power trading through direct power purchase agreements, electricity usage guarantee rules, potential direct high-voltage transmission access for large operators, faster grid investment, and mapping of water and power availability to guide site selection.

Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the BOI, said the investments show Thailand is attracting more activity across AI, advanced electronics and related supply chains.

“We are building the infrastructure needed for the next wave of future-industry investment,” Narit said. “The government is aligning resource management with its green transition goals to ensure long-term operational security and give global investors confidence.”