Thailand is set to implement stricter licensing regulations for data centers as the industry experiences rapid growth alongside mounting concerns over potential exploitation by criminal networks.
Key Details:
- Thailand’s data centre market is projected to grow from 470 billion baht (2025) to over 2.02 trillion baht by 2031, an average annual growth rate of 27.71%.
- The NBTC (National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission) is proposing upgrading data centre licences to Type 3, the same category used for telecommunications operators, enabling deeper oversight of customers and infrastructure.
- Key concerns include data centres potentially being exploited by call centre gangs, money launderers, and grey capital networks for cybercrime and cross-border fraud.
- New measures would also introduce zoning controls to regulate electricity and water consumption.
- Seven data centre projects worth over 96 billion baht have already received BOI approval, with major investors including True Internet Data Centre, Gulf-Singtel-AIS, and operators from Singapore, Japan, and Europe.
- In 2025 alone, 36 investment promotion projects worth 728 billion baht were submitted, reflecting Thailand’s emergence as a regional hub.
- The NBTC stressed the new rules are “not intended to block investment” and will be open for public consultation before finalisation.
Why It Matters:
As Thailand rapidly becomes a regional data centre hub, balancing economic growth with robust regulatory oversight is critical to preventing digital infrastructure from becoming a channel for organised crime and illicit financial flows.
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