Thai investment surges to 1.3 trillion baht, with foreign investors remaining confident in ASEAN’s production base.

Prominent industries attracting investment

The industry groups that received the most attention this year were:

1. Digital and Technology (Value 612,768 million baht / 119 projects)
   Especially investment in data centers and various software platforms that are in line with the growth of the global digital economy.
2. Electronics and electrical appliances (184,078 million baht / 382 projects)
   Covering the production of PCBs, hard disk drives, electronic components, cell-level batteries, and smart appliances.
3. Renewable energy (74,212 million baht / 300 projects)
   Invest in solar, wind and biomass power plants
4. Automotive and parts (70,985 million baht / 229 projects)
   Including the production of tires, automotive parts and aircraft.
5. Agriculture and Food (47,200 million baht / 228 projects)
   Focus on food processing, products from natural raw materials and rubber.
6. Petrochemicals and chemicals (36,766 million baht / 230 projects)
   Covering plastic products for industry
7. Medical (25,086 million baht / 89 projects)
   Including investment in specialized hospitals and medical equipment
8. Tourism (15,902 million baht / 21 projects)
   Covering hotel businesses and new tourist attraction development projects

Foreign investors still have confidence in Thailand

Foreign direct investment (FDI) continues to show signs of expansion, totaling 1,947 projects worth 985,337 million baht, an increase of 82% from the previous year.
The top five investment countries are Singapore, Hong Kong, China, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

In particular, large-scale data center projects from Singapore and the UK, as well as an electric vehicle battery factory from Hong Kong, are investments that reflect confidence in the Thai economy and its potential in modern technology.

Popular investment areas

The Eastern region remains the number one investment destination, with a total value of over 855 billion baht.
Next are the Central, Northeastern, Northern, Southern, and Western regions, respectively.

Adapting to Smart & Sustainable Industry

Investments to upgrade existing industries to Smart Industry / Sustainable Industry are also gaining increasing attention.
During the first nine months, over 402 projects worth 37.652 billion baht were requested, focusing on the use of automation, robotics, and digital technology in the manufacturing process to increase efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and minimize environmental impact.

New opportunities for Thailand in the technological age

A new wave of investment focused on advanced technologies such as semiconductors, batteries, and data centers is transforming the Thai economy into a more modern one.
This increased investment is expected to create over 175,000 jobs and increase the country’s export value by over 1.4 trillion baht per year.

Source: Bangkok Business Online