AWS plans to invest more than US$5 billion in Thailand and support an average of more than 11,000 jobs annually in the local data center supply chain, adding approximately $10 billion to Thailand’s GDP. This is the largest investment made by an international cloud provider in Thailand to date. This investment will also lead to a ripple effect across the Thai economy by creating employment opportunities, fostering community engagement, and upskilling the workforce in Thailand.
"The launch of the AWS Region in Thailand will enable Thai organizations to access secure and high-quality cloud services, allowing us to build on business opportunities in the market. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) has been working closely with AWS to push forward Thailand’s digitalization. This AWS data center investment is also aligned with the government’s Cloud First Policy which will ultimately drive Thailand to become the digital economy hub of the region," said Mr. Prasert Jantararuangtong, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Digital Economy and Society.
“While Thai companies and organizations have been building and innovating on AWS since 2006, the establishment of the AWS Region in Thailand will deepen our collaboration with Thai customers and partners to advance their digital transformation and accelerate generative AI adoption. Having AWS data centers located in Thailand will drive innovation, enhance productivity, advance our economy, and encourage more investment in the country. I am excited by the opportunities AWS cloud infrastructure brings to Thailand and the contribution we can make towards advancing Thailand’s digital ambitions,” said Vatsun Thirapatarapong, Country Manager of AWS Thailand.
This new cloud infrastructure will nurture and enable progress in Thailand’s digital economy where Thai enterprises, startups, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and public sector organizations can collaborate, experiment, and thrive with access to the broadest and deepest portfolio of services, including analytics, compute, database, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), generative AI, machine learning (ML), mobile services, storage, and other cloud technologies.
Secure and resilient cloud infrastructure for Thailand
The AWS Asia Pacific (Thailand) Region has three Availability Zones (AZs) for enhanced resilience and availability. Each of these AZs is a fully isolated partition of our infrastructure consisting of one, or in many cases, several data centers.
Each AZ has independent power, cooling, and physical security, and is connected to national backbone networks via high-speed fiber optic networks. Having multiple AZs allows Thai customers to build high availability applications with data stored locally, while providing low latency to their end users.
Security at AWS starts with our core infrastructure. It is custom-built for the cloud and designed to meet the most stringent security requirements in the world. Our infrastructure is monitored 24/7 to help ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of customer data. Customers can build on the most secure global infrastructure, knowing they always control their data, including the ability to encrypt it, move it, and manage retention at any time.
This is why AWS is the preferred cloud provider of several Thai customers, including Siam Cement Group (SCG), a leading business conglomerate in ASEAN, innovating cement building materials, chemicals, and packaging. To accelerate its digital transformation, better serve customers, and drive efficiencies for growth, SCG migrated its mission-critical workloads to AWS in 2023, saving 30% on infrastructure costs. “This launch of the new AWS Region in Thailand will provide even greater reliability, security, and efficiency allowing us to push the boundaries of industrial data with generative AI and improve productivity and business operations. We’re excited to explore new generative AI capabilities on AWS that will help to create new customer experiences and develop innovative products, services, and solutions that meet the diverse needs of our customers,” said Piyapon Valaikanok, Director of Corporate IT at SCG.
Digitalizing the financial services industry in Thailand
Tens of thousands of financial services firms around the world, from fast-growing fintech companies to leading financial institutions, are redefining their futures on AWS. With the new AWS Asia Pacific (Thailand) Region, the local and regional financial services industry will also be able to leverage emerging technologies to optimize operations and fast-track innovation.
2C2P, a leading Southeast Asian payment platform, leverages AWS to power its innovative fintech solutions. By utilizing AWS's cloud infrastructure, 2C2P enhances its payment processing capabilities, scalability, and security. This collaboration enables 2C2P to offer robust, flexible payment services to merchants in Thailand and across Southeast Asia, supporting various payment methods and currencies. "The launch of the AWS Thailand Region is a significant milestone for the fintech industry in Thailand and Southeast Asia. As a leading payment platform, 2C2P sees this as a game-changer for our operations and the services we provide to merchants,” said Myo Zaw, Chief Technology Officer of 2C2P. “The local infrastructure will dramatically improve latency and data residency, crucial factors in the fast-paced world of digital payments. This investment by AWS will accelerate innovation in our sector, enabling us to develop more sophisticated, secure, and localized payment solutions. We're excited to leverage this new region to enhance our real-time processing capabilities and support the growing digital economy in Thailand and beyond.”
Ascend Money, a top fintech company in Southeast Asia, is leveraging AWS Cloud to improve operations, cut costs, and innovate for its customers. “The launch of the AWS Thailand Region is a pivotal moment for fintech innovation in our country. At Ascend Money, we're excited about the enhanced performance and data residency this brings to our TrueMoney platform. This local infrastructure will enable us to develop more sophisticated, culturally-tailored financial services, accelerating financial inclusion across Thailand. We anticipate leveraging this new region to boost our real-time processing capabilities, enhance security, and ultimately provide a superior experience for our millions of users. This investment by AWS not only supports our mission but also strengthens Thailand's position as a fintech leader in Southeast Asia,” said Staporn Kiewsuwansuk, Chief Technology Officer, Ascend Money.
Upgrading citizen services with digital technologies
With tens of thousands of government, education, nonprofit, and healthcare customers around the world leveraging AWS, we understand how public sector organizations need to balance economy and agility with security, compliance, and reliability.
The Digital Government Agency (DGA) of Thailand collaborates with AWS to enhance e-government initiatives, improve public service delivery, and promote data-driven policymaking. This enables DGA to implement scalable, secure, and innovative digital solutions across various government agencies, fostering efficiency and citizen engagement. "The establishment of the AWS Region in Thailand marks a significant milestone in our country's digital transformation journey. As we accelerate our Cloud First policy, this new infrastructure will provide our government agencies with the necessary resources to innovate and deliver essential services to our citizens. We are confident that AWS's commitment to cloud security standards will ensure the protection of our sensitive data, enabling us to leverage the power of the cloud with peace of mind," said Dr. Asis Unyapoth, Executive Vice President, Digital Government Agency.
A strong partner ecosystem makes all the difference
Our Thai customers can also accelerate their cloud adoption and fuel innovation with access to the AWS Partner Network (APN). The APN features more than 140,000 partners from over 200 countries and territories. AWS Partners build innovative solutions and services on AWS, and the APN helps by providing business, technical, marketing, and go-to-market support to customers.
Through this collaboration and network, local Thai AWS Partners also transform and grow their businesses. Here are three AWS Advanced Consulting Partners in Thailand who are accelerating cloud adoption in Thailand:
ECV Thailand, a prominent digital transformation consultancy, provides expertise in cloud migration, DevOps, and managed services. "The AWS Thailand Region is a game-changer for our digital landscape. It will dramatically improve latency and data sovereignty, crucial for sectors like fintech and healthcare,” said Amarin Burinkul, Country Manager, ECV Thailand. “We expect this to accelerate cloud adoption, allowing Thai businesses to innovate faster and tackle local challenges more effectively. This investment not only boosts our digital economy but also positions Thailand as a tech hub, attracting investments and nurturing local talent. ECV Thailand is ready to help organizations maximize the potential of this new infrastructure."
G-Able, a leading IT solutions provider in Thailand, offers expertise in cloud migration, cloud managed services, data analytics and AI/ML services, application modernization services, and digital transformation. "The new AWS Thailand Region is a game-changer for our clients and the Thai tech ecosystem. As an AWS Advanced Tier Partner, we're excited about the improved performance and data residency options this brings. It will accelerate digital transformation across Thailand, helping businesses innovate faster and compete globally. This investment reinforces Thailand's position as a key digital hub in Southeast Asia," said Dr. Chaiyuth Chunnahacha, CEO and Executive Director, G-Able.
Metro Systems Thailand, another leading IT solutions provider, helps organizations optimize their IT infrastructure, enhance operational efficiency, and accelerate innovation using AWS cloud services. "We are excited about the AWS Thailand Region launch, unlocking potential for improved performance, cost-efficiency, and security. This milestone will drive growth across various industries, enabling business expansion and innovation in the Thai market. With AWS's advanced infrastructure locally available, we anticipate accelerated digital transformation and economic progress," said Veeraphan Durongsang, President of Digital Solutions Group, Metro Systems Thailand.
Contributing to the Thai community
The economic growth created by AWS investment in the AWS Asia Pacific (Thailand) Region will lead to a ripple effect in the Thailand cloud community. This ripple effect will occur through accelerating productivity gains in the Thai economy, empowering the digital transformation of businesses, including startups and SMEs that are part of the AWS Partner Network, upskilling the cloud and digital workforce, developing renewable energy projects, and creating a positive impact in the communities where AWS operates
Since 2017, AWS has trained more than 50,000 individuals in Thailand in cloud skills. AWS has launched various AWS Training and Certification programs in Thailand to equip individuals with the right skills to thrive in a digital world. AWS Skill Builder is a digital learning experience with over 600 free on-demand cloud skills courses, including over 100 in the local Thai language. These courses make it easy to build AWS Cloud skills with self-paced digital training on demand when and where it's convenient.
Amazon is committed to becoming a more sustainable business and reaching net-zero carbon across its operations by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement, as part of The Climate Pledge. AWS is constantly working on ways to increase the energy efficiency of its data centers—optimizing data center design, investing in purpose-built chips, and innovating with new cooling technologies. A report by Accenture, commissioned by AWS, estimates AWS’s infrastructure is up to 4.1 times more efficient than on-premises, and when workloads are optimized on AWS, the associated carbon footprint can be reduced by up to 99%.
Furthermore, in 2023, Amazon announced that it had met its 100% renewable energy goal seven years ahead of schedule. All of the electricity consumed by Amazon’s operations, including its data centers, was matched with 100% renewable energy in 2023. We will continue to invest in renewable energy, including in Thailand, to meet our 2040 net zero carbon goal. Furthermore, AWS plans to be water positive by 2030, returning more water to communities than the company uses in its data center operations.
With the new AWS Asia Pacific (Thailand) Region, customers will also benefit from AWS’s sustainability efforts across its infrastructure. We are excited about building a sustainable digital future for Thailand through this new AWS Region with our customers and partners.
