PM holds discussions with Tesla, Microsoft executives
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin continued his series of meetings with leading US firms this week, holding discussions with Tesla chief Elon Musk via remote conferencing on Wednesday and with executives of Microsoft on Thursday.
In his conversation with Musk, the PM expressed his commitment to collaborating and boosting investment opportunities in Thailand, particularly in the electric vehicle (EV) sector and space exploration, and praised the shared vision for the betterment of humanity and a cleaner world towards a brighter future.
Srettha emphasised that he expected the encounter to be successful, not only for Thailand but also for the global community, given the high market value of collaboration in the fields of EV and space exploration.
The Tesla team applauded Thailand's human resource potential, which aligns well with Tesla's investment plans and took note that the Thai government and related agencies are ready to provide support and a legal framework for investment benefits in these areas.
In his meeting in the United States with Microsoft executives, the PM began by expressing gratitude to Microsoft for their long-standing cooperation and investment in Thailand, highlighting the potential for Thailand to become a regional hub and a data centre for the region.
Microsoft is keen to support both the private and public sectors in utilising cloud technology. Such cloud investments in Thailand are expected to enhance the capabilities of the Thai workforce, especially in the information technology (IT) and engineering fields, contributing to Thailand's competitiveness.
Srettha also extended an invitation to Microsoft to invest in data centres in Thailand, with an estimated investment of around US$15 billion or approximately 500 billion baht. The data centres would require a power capacity of 500 megawatts. Thailand is among the countries being considered for this investment, alongside Malaysia and Singapore. If Microsoft chooses to invest in Thailand, it is estimated to involve an initial investment of approximately 100 billion baht.
High-level sources in Thailand's technology industry say that Microsoft executives in Thailand have not yet confirmed or denied this investment, as their current focus remains on AI. Microsoft has plans to invest in three countries, Thailand, India, and Malaysia, and the decision on the destination of their investment is yet to be finalised.
