Arya News - High potential investment returns are positioning Thailand as a primary growth market in the Asia-Pacific region, attracting hyperscale providers and institutional investors.
BANGKOK – Thailand is positioned to attract approximately $15.9bn (570bn baht) in data centre investments between 2026 and 2030, driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) workloads and cloud computing across South-East Asia.
According to a report by Krungthep Turakij journalist Budsakorn Phoosae, drawing on data from Cushman & Wakefield’s Asia Pacific Data Centre Investment report, the massive capital outlay is drawing hyperscale providers, colocation operators, institutional investors, and lenders to the kingdom.
While South-East Asia’s digital infrastructure landscape was historically dominated by Singapore and Malaysia, Thailand is fast emerging as a primary growth market. Cushman & Wakefield ranks Thailand third in the Asia-Pacific region for potential Yield on Cost (YoC)—behind only Singapore and Vietnam—with unlevered yields in the market projected to exceed 10%.
An Underserved Market with Surging Demand
Thailand’s appeal to global investors stems largely from a severe supply deficit relative to its population. The country currently operates with roughly 514,587 people per megawatt (MW) of operational colocation capacity, compared with the Asia-Pacific average of 247,713 people per MW.
This structural shortage, combined with accelerating digital adoption, has created a significant capacity gap. Demonstrating this surge in appetite, pre-leasing activity for Thai data centres has expanded ninefold year-on-year.
Because large-scale data centre developments require multi-year lead times to secure land, power, cooling systems, and fiber connectivity, major hyperscalers and AI operators are actively reserving capacity years prior to facility completion.
Transition to Long-Term Recurring Revenue
The anticipated $15.9bn investment is expected to establish a lucrative recurring revenue model for the domestic economy.
The colocation leasing sector alone is projected to generate more than $3bn (107bn baht) annually in recurring revenue by 2030, shifting the industry from one-off construction projects into long-term digital infrastructure assets.
Financial markets have already begun capitalising on this transition. In 2026, a landmark $880m (31.7bn baht) Green Loan was secured for a joint data centre development by Digital Edge and B.Grimm Power in Thailand, underscoring institutional confidence in data centres as core national infrastructure.