Suphachai Chearavanont, CEO of Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group), and Adebayo Ogunlesi, Chairman and CEO of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), recently met with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra at Government House to discuss strategies for enhancing Thailand’s digital infrastructure, especially data centers.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn reiterated the government’s ambition to position Thailand as the digital economy hub of ASEAN. She emphasized that achieving this goal requires strong collaboration between public and private sectors, particularly in the development of cloud services and data center infrastructure. She highlighted ongoing investment from global technology firms such as Google, Microsoft, and TikTok (ByteDance), and noted Thailand’s interest in further expanding into clean energy and artificial intelligence.
Deputy Government Spokesperson Sasikarn Wattanachan said the Prime Minister welcomed cooperation between CP Group and GIP and expressed confidence in the partnership’s ability to strengthen Thailand’s digital capacity. Suphachai affirmed CP Group’s commitment to support the country’s digital and AI development alongside global partners like GIP.
Ogunlesi described GIP as part of the BlackRock Group, a global leader in investment management. He praised Thailand’s strategic location, business environment, and infrastructure, stating it holds the top regional position for data center development in GIP’s assessment. He also expressed support for the government’s efforts, including the National AI Committee, and welcomed collaboration on talent development and academic partnerships.
GIP and BlackRock plan to invest between USD 3 billion and USD 5 billion in digital infrastructure, primarily in high-performance data centers to support AI, big data, and cloud technologies.
(Source: The Nation)
