Thailand tightens investment standards for AI data centres

Thailand is introducing stricter investment criteria for data centres as booming artificial intelligence (AI) demand fuels a surge in digital infrastructure investment while increasing pressure on electricity, water resources and the environment.

Thailand's The Nation newspaper quoted Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas as saying that 16 data centre projects have so far secured confirmation that electricity could be supplied. The government is drafting a new strategy to promote investment in the sector while ensuring broader national benefits, shifting the focus from the number and value of projects to their overall quality and long-term contribution.