Anutin backs digital, AI and chip investment under Thailand’s 14th plan
Thailand’s draft 14th development plan targets digital technology, AI, semiconductors and cleaner energy while calling for faster government reform and OECD membership.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has set out plans to reposition Thailand as an investment base for digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors and other advanced industries under the country’s draft 14th National Economic and Social Development Plan.
Anutin made the remarks on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) while opening the annual meeting of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), held under the theme “Plan 14: Thailand’s Next Agenda”. The draft plan will cover 2028–2032.
He described the forthcoming plan as particularly significant because Thailand is confronting major changes in the economy, technology, geopolitics, population ageing and climate conditions.
Recent flooding in Bangkok and other parts of the country, he said, showed that national development could not be measured only by economic growth figures or large projects, but also by whether people could live and work securely in both normal conditions and during crises.
“The key challenge for the 14th Plan is to answer how the Thai economy can generate better incomes for people, how Thais can develop skills to compete globally, how the government can work faster and more efficiently, and how the country can cope with increasingly severe risks,” Anutin said.
Thailand seeks new position in global investment
Anutin said discussions with institutional investors and major businesses during government roadshows in Tokyo, New York and London had pointed to a shift in global investment priorities.
Investors were no longer looking only for the countries with the lowest labour or production costs, he said. Instead, they were placing greater emphasis on reliability, clear regulations, adequate infrastructure and energy supplies, and governments capable of making decisions and solving problems quickly.
The government therefore wants to reposition Thailand to attract industries of the future, including digital technology, AI, semiconductors, advanced electronics, next-generation vehicles, health technology, future food and clean energy.
“If you are looking only for cheap labour, low overheads, cheap resources or blank-cheque tax incentives, that is not Thailand,” Anutin said.
“Thailand offers more than that. We have infrastructure, standards and skilled Thai workers. When you invest in Thailand, you do not gain access only to a market of 70 million people. Our logistics connections reach a regional population of more than 700 million.”
Government reform placed alongside economic restructuring
Anutin also stressed that businesses and citizens would struggle to adapt if the public sector continued operating under outdated structures, regulations and procedures.
He argued that an effective state should not be judged by the number of laws or government agencies it has, but by the speed and transparency with which it resolves problems.
He asked NESDC to include clear measures in the 14th Plan to address organisational cultures that discourage public officials from taking action.
“There must no longer be a culture where doing nothing means you can simply wait for promotion, while doing more work only increases the risk of being criticised,” he said.
“We need to modernise the bureaucracy and adopt a Single Data system. People and businesses should submit one set of documents instead of having to chase individual permits from desk to desk without knowing when the process will end.”
The NESDC has structured the draft plan around five development pillars: economic restructuring, public-sector reform, human-capital development, sustainable natural-resource and environmental management, and greater investment in research, technology and innovation.
OECD membership targeted during Plan 14 period
Anutin also set a target for Thailand to become a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) during the five-year period covered by the plan.
He said membership would support efforts to raise standards in competition law, governance and public-sector disclosure to internationally recognised levels.
NESDC said the annual meeting is intended to gather input from government, business, academia, local authorities, civil society and the public before the draft plan is finalised. The 14th National Economic and Social Development Plan is scheduled to take effect in October 2027.
