BANGKOK, Oct. 26, 2026 — Thailand received US$50.3 billion (1.71 trillion baht) of investment applications in the first nine months of the year, up 28%, as projects tied to artificial intelligence drove demand for data centers, semiconductors and electronics, the Board of Investment said.

AI-related applications totaled more than US$35.3 billion, or about 70% of the overall value. Foreign investment applications surged 62% to US$45.7 billion, underscoring the scale of overseas capital behind the expansion.

AI Build-Out Drives Investment

Thailand received 111 applications tied directly to the AI supply chain, spanning data centers, data hosting and cloud services, chip design, semiconductor production and testing, printed circuit boards, optical components, power systems, servers and data storage.

Digital projects led all industries with more than US$34.4 billion of applications, nearly double the level a year earlier. Electronics and electrical-appliance projects ranked second at US$5.6 billion, up 7%.

The applications cover multiple layers of AI infrastructure. Analog Devices plans semiconductor-testing operations, Delta Electronics is seeking to expand printed-circuit-board and power-system production, and Western Digital proposed additional advanced hard-disk-drive capacity. Eoptolink Technology applied to make high-speed optical transceivers, while Celestica is expanding its capacity for network switches, mainboards and AI servers.

The mix shows how data-center construction is creating demand beyond computing facilities, including storage, networking and power equipment. The BOI said the build-out could connect incoming digital investment with Thailand’s existing electronics manufacturers and create work for local component, engineering and maintenance suppliers.

Separately, across all investment applications—not only foreign-backed projects—investment was not limited to AI supply chain. Agriculture and food-processing applications rose 59% to US$2.4 billion, while renewable power, logistics, automotive parts and industrial materials added breadth to the pipeline.

Foreign Investment Jumps 62%

Singapore was the largest source of foreign applications, with 214 projects worth US$34.3billion, followed by China, the UK, Japan and Taiwan. Foreign-backed applications were concentrated in digital infrastructure, semiconductors and electronics, with additional projects in food, automotive parts, machinery, metals and chemicals.

Projects Move Toward Implementation

The BOI approved 1,951 projects worth US$44.6 billion during the period.

The approved projects are expected to create more than 116,000 jobs, generate US$57.7 billion in annual exports and purchase US$20.4 billion of Thai materials and components each year, giving domestic suppliers an opportunity to enter the new production networks.

“The investment trend reflects a clear shift toward digital and advanced-technology industries and an opportunity for Thailand to expand its role in the global AI supply chain,” BOI Secretary-General Narit Therdsteerasukdi said. The agency will focus on developing skilled workers and helping Thai suppliers join advanced-technology production networks, he said.