AWS launches infrastructure region in Thailand

AWS also plans to invest more than US$5 billion and support an average of more than 11,000 full-time equivalent jobs annually in Thailand, adding approximately US$10 billion to Thailand’s GDP.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched its latest AWS Asia Pacific Region in Thailand. The AWS Asia Pacific (Thailand) region is expected to support businesses of all sizes in Thailand, providing them with greater choice for running their applications.

With the launch of the new region, AWS now has 111 Availability Zones across 35 geographic regions. AWS has also announced plans to launch 15 more Availability Zones and five more AWS Regions in Mexico, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud.

The AWS Asia Pacific (Thailand) Region consists of three Availability Zones. The Zones are located strategically to support customers and provide low latency for high availability applications that use multiple Availability Zones. According to AWS, each Availability Zone has independent power, cooling, and physical security, and is connected through redundant, ultra-low-latency networks. AWS customers focused on high availability can design their applications to run in multiple Availability Zones to achieve even greater fault tolerance.

With an estimated US$10 billion contributed to the Thailand’s GDP, the construction and operation of the region is also expected to support more than 11,000 jobs in the country. Specifically, the new region will require jobs in construction, facility maintenance, engineering, telecommunications, and others that will be part of the AWS supply chain in Thailand.

Apart from launching the new region, AWS also announced plans to invest more than US$5 billion in Thailand to support the AWS Global Infrastructure.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand thanked AWS for investing in the development of data centers in the country and is pleased that the country’s potential and readiness have been recognized by one of the world’s leading companies.

“I look forward to AWS playing a pivotal role, in partnership with the government, in advancing Thailand toward a more inclusive digital society and expanding access to digital services for all citizens,” said the Prime Minister.

Prasad Kalyanaraman, vice president of Infrastructure Services at AWS explained that the new AWS Region in Thailand will help customers across all industries deploy advanced applications with a broad set of AWS technologies that offer both core cloud capabilities, such as compute, storage, analytics, and networking, and services that enable customers to rapidly evolve, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.

“With today’s launch, AWS is proud to support Thailand’s digital transformation and help accelerate its role as a regional hub for artificial intelligence,” said Kalyanaraman.

Prior to the launch of the new region, AWS has launched six Amazon CloudFront edge locations in Thailand, which accelerate the delivery of data, videos, applications, and APIs to users worldwide with low latency and high transfer speeds since 2020. AWS also launched AWS Outposts in Thailand in 2020 to deliver AWS infrastructure and services to virtually any on-premises or edge location for a truly consistent hybrid experience. In 2022, AWS deepened its investment in Thailand with the launch of AWS Local Zones in Bangkok.

In terms of skills development in Thailand, AWS has trained more than 50,000 individuals in cloud skills since 2017. The tech giant has also invested in upskilling developers, students, and the next generation of IT leaders in Thailand with sought-after cloud skills through AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance and AWS Training & Certification programs.

Strengthening the AWS ecosystem

Apart from AWS customers, the launch of the new region is also expected to boost opportunities for AWS partners in Thailand. AWS Partners in Thailand include Com7, Dailitech, Dakok, Deloitte, Fujitsu, G-Able, Inteltion, Metro Systems, MFEC, NTT DATA, SiS Distribution, SoftwareOne, True IDC, and Yip in Tsoi & Co., Ltd.

For Dailitech, the launch of the AWS Asia Pacific (Thailand) Region will significantly enhance the tech company’s ability to accelerate innovation and improve performance for its customers in Southeast Asia. According to Dr. Vit Niennattrakul, Managing Director for Dailitech, the expansion by AWS further cements Thailand's position as a key player in the region's digital economy, and it will unlock tremendous potential for Thai businesses and for the Thai people.

Leading IT services provider, NTT Data also collaborates with AWS in Thailand to offer cloud migration, management, and optimization services to businesses in the country. Sutas Kongdumrongkiat, CEO, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, NTT DATA commented that the strategic investment by AWS aligns perfectly with NTT Data’s commitment to driving digital transformation in Thailand and the broader ASEAN region.

“The new AWS Thailand Region will enable us to offer our clients enhanced cloud solutions with improved performance, lower latency, and stronger data sovereignty. As a long-standing AWS Partner, we’re excited to leverage this local infrastructure to accelerate innovation, particularly in areas like IoT, smart cities, and Industry 4.0. This development will undoubtedly strengthen Thailand's position as a digital hub and foster new opportunities for businesses across various sectors,” said Kongdumronkiat.

Meanwhile, AWS customers in Thailand are also hoping to scale their business more with the new region. AWS customers in Thailand such as Bank of Ayudhya Public Company Limited relies on AWS to address specific challenges such as enhancing customer experience, improving financial accessibility, and optimizing operational efficiency. The bank utilizes AWS cloud services, including data analytics, machine learning, and AI, to innovate and streamline processes.

Another customer is Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group). As Thailand’s largest conglomerate, CP Group operates across agribusiness, food, retail, telecommunications, and e-commerce in over 21 countries. The group uses AWS to drive digital transformation, enhance operational efficiency, scale rapidly, improve data analytics capabilities, develop new digital products and services, and innovate across their diverse business units.

Other AWS customers include KASIKORN Business-Technology Group (KBTG), the technology arm of KASIKORNBANK, one of Thailand’s leading commercial banks. The bank relies on AWS to enable more than 400 applications to make financial services accessible, convenient, and inclusive to customers across Asia Pacific.

In the government sector, the Big Data Institute (BDI) is a Thai government agency that is leading the charge to transform Thailand into a data-driven nation through the development of the National Big Data Platform, which empowers government bodies to formulate informed policies that address key economic and social challenges. BDI launched several data integration initiatives, including Health Link, Travel Link, and the Thai Large Language Model (Thai LLM) platforms, all aimed at enhancing data accessibility and utility across sectors.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) is another customer which AWS provides robust, highly scalable, and low latency cloud infrastructure for its online trading platform that can meet stringent security and compliance requirements. Thirapun Sanpakit, senior executive vice president and head of the IT division at the Stock Exchange of Thailand, said that with an increase in digital investors, it is vital for SET to adapt quickly to new market demands and offer services that cater to the appetite of this growing generation.

“Using AWS for SET’s online trading platforms helps us easily scale to accommodate 500,000 concurrent users, while maintaining maximum operational efficiency. With the new AWS Thailand Region, we will expand our low-latency market data offerings to further enhance the trading experience of our investors,” said Sanpakit.