PM Anutin Sets Data Center Oversight Committee, Pushes Green Standards

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul opened the inaugural meeting of the Data Center Business Policy Committee at Government House on September 4, stressing that Thailand's data center strategy must create added value for the country, not simply serve as a location for foreign investment. The PM acknowledged Thailand's strong appeal to both domestic and international investors due to its geographic position, infrastructure readiness, and role as Southeast Asia's economic center, while recognizing the challenges posed by high energy, water, and land consumption, as well as environmental and cybersecurity concerns. The government intends to rapidly establish appropriate standards and safeguards to build public confidence and minimize potential impacts. The PM emphasized that Thailand must attract related industries, promote technology transfer, develop skilled Thai workers, build a digital ecosystem, and strengthen the nation's long-term competitiveness rather than simply hosting data centers. He tasked the committee with comprehensively addressing key issues including legal definitions, Green Data Center standards, renewable energy promotion, data protection, cybersecurity, and support for Thailand's AI and Cloud ecosystems. The PM expressed confidence that with proper direction, Thailand can leverage digital economy growth opportunities to become a regional digital and innovation hub while ensuring sustainable development. Government officials confirmed the committee will gather input from all stakeholders to inform upcoming regulations and announcements governing the data center industry.