BOI says first-half investment tops B1.47tn as digital and data centre projects pour into Thailand
Thailand’s BOI says investment applications reached 1.47 trillion baht in the first half of 2026, led by digital, data centre, electronics and clean-energy projects.
- Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) received investment applications totaling 1.473 trillion baht in the first half of 2026, a 37% increase year-on-year.
- The digital industry was the primary driver, accounting for 1.115 trillion baht of the total, with major projects in data centers, data hosting, and cloud services.
- Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) applications made up 1.368 trillion baht of the total, with Singapore being the largest contributor at 1.121 trillion baht, mostly in the digital sector.
- Following the digital sector, electronics and electrical appliances were the next largest investment area with 120.23 billion baht in applications.
Narit Therdsteerasukdi, secretary-general of the Board of Investment, or BOI, said investment in Thailand continued to grow strongly in 2026 despite global economic uncertainty from geopolitical tensions, energy-price volatility and the restructuring of global supply chains.
During the first half of 2026, from January to June, 1,299 projects applied for investment promotion, with a combined investment value of 1.473 trillion baht, up 37% from the same period last year.
The figure reflects investor confidence in Thailand’s potential as an investment base for future industries.
Digital, electronics and electrical appliances lead investment
The top two sectors by investment value were industries aligned with global trends.
The digital industry ranked first, with 1.115 trillion baht from 90 projects. It was followed by electronics and electrical appliances, with 120.23 billion baht from 179 projects.
Other major investment sectors included:
- Agriculture and food processing: 61.388 billion baht from 131 projects
- Logistics and high-value services: 40.217 billion baht from 170 projects
- Energy and public utilities: 39.461 billion baht from 221 projects
- Automotive and parts: 25.662 billion baht from 122 projects
- Minerals, metals and materials: 20.399 billion baht from 128 projects
- Chemicals and petrochemicals: 16.533 billion baht from 110 projects
- Machinery, automation and robotics: 13.093 billion baht from 82 projects
The sector with the highest number of projects was energy and public utilities, mostly renewable power generation from solar, wind, biomass and biogas. This category had 198 projects worth 26.354 billion baht.
The figures reflect continued expansion in clean-energy investment and utility systems, including tap water and industrial water, to support future industrial demand.
Central region draws largest investment
By location, most investment was concentrated in the Central region, with 903.759 billion baht from 513 projects.
It was followed by the Eastern region with 495.737 billion baht, the Northeast with 14.985 billion baht, the South with 11.864 billion baht, the West with 8.162 billion baht and the North with 7.733 billion baht.
Although the North had a lower investment value than other regions, its investment value grew by 93% from the same period last year. This signals expanding investment in promising sectors, especially energy and public utilities, agriculture and food processing, and medical businesses.
FDI applications reach 877 projects
Foreign direct investment, or FDI, continued to expand, with 877 projects applying for promotion. Total investment value reached 1.368 trillion baht, up 80%.
The top five countries or economies by investment application value were:
- Singapore: 1.121 trillion baht from 158 projects
- United Kingdom: 47.193 billion baht from 11 projects
- China: 45.766 billion baht from 321 projects
- Taiwan: 38.014 billion baht from 47 projects
- Japan: 32.79 billion baht from 123 projects
Most foreign investment applications were in digital industries, including data centres, data hosting and cloud services.
The next major group was electronics and electrical appliances, including production of optical transceivers, printed circuit boards, or PCBs, PCB raw materials, hard disk drives, wafer and integrated circuit testing, and network and cooling systems for data centres.
There was also investment in humanoid robot parts, automotive parts, food and beverages, and advanced materials, reinforcing foreign investors’ confidence in Thailand’s potential as a base for high-technology industries.
Smart and sustainable industry measures gain traction
Applications under the BOI’s measures to upgrade industries towards Smart and Sustainable Industry also continued to attract interest.
In the first half of 2026, there were 132 applications under these measures, with combined investment of 17.158 billion baht.
Most involved machinery upgrades to improve production efficiency, energy saving and renewable energy use, digital technology adoption, and the use of automation and robotics in production and services.
These investments aim to raise productivity and move Thai industry towards higher-value and more sustainable production.
Approved projects to create more than 82,000 jobs
In the first half of 2026, the BOI approved investment promotion for 1,300 projects, with combined investment of 1.306 trillion baht.
These projects are expected to create more than 82,000 jobs for Thai workers across electronics, energy, food and advanced manufacturing industries.
They will also create opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs to enter supply chains through the use of domestic raw materials and components worth more than 386 billion baht per year, or 42% of total raw material value.
In addition, the approved projects are expected to generate export value of more than 1.24 trillion baht per year, helping increase income, stimulate economic activity and strengthen Thailand’s economy in the long term.
The BOI said it is prioritising investment that creates benefits for Thailand and Thai people, including quality employment, workforce development in new technologies, opportunities for Thai businesses to join supply chains, and the distribution of economic activity to different regions.
The agency is also pushing for real investment to materialise as quickly as possible through the Thailand FastPass mechanism, to drive economic growth and ensure Thai people benefit concretely from the transition towards future industries.
