BOI's New 4-Condition Selection Criteria for Data Centers

Thansettakij•Economy•18d ago

Reader Briefing

The Board of Investment (BOI) is tightening screening criteria for Data Center projects to align with a new national policy committee's guidelines focusing on sustainability and national benefit.

•The Cabinet approved the Prime Minister's Office Regulations on the Data Center Business Policy Committee on August 5, 2026.
•The BOI approved 42 Data Center projects between 2024–2026 with a total investment of 750,000 million baht.
•New screening criteria will focus on four dimensions: energy security, water resource efficiency, environmental impact, and digital ecosystem development.

Overview

•The Cabinet approved the draft Prime Minister's Office Regulations on the Data Center Business Policy Committee on August 5, 2026.
•Between 2024–2026, the BOI approved 42 Data Center projects with a total IT load of 3,400 megawatts and investment of 750,000 million baht.
•Of the approved projects, Thai companies held 15, followed by China (10), USA (5), UAE (4), Japan (2), and Malaysia-Hong Kong (1).
•The National Energy Policy Council (NEPC) approved the separation of Data Center electricity users to apply higher electricity rates reflecting actual costs.
•The BOI is studying four key dimensions for screening: energy security, water resource efficiency, environmental impact, and supply chain integration.
•No new Data Center investment applications have been submitted to the BOI since April 2026.
•Current global providers such as AWS and Google have already invested in Data Centers and Cloud Regions in Thailand.
•Relevant agencies are integrating data to create a Power Map and Water Map to establish appropriate zoning for future projects.

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Key Entities

Person

Naruebit Teerdsathirasak(นฤตม์ เทอดสถีรศักดิ์)

Secretary General of the Board of Investment (BOI).

Ekniti Nitithandpraphash(เอกนิติ นิติทัณฑ์ประภาศ)

Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Investment (BOI Board).

Organization

Board of Investment(คณะกรรมการส่งเสริมการลงทุน)

The agency responsible for screening and promoting Data Center investments in Thailand.

BOI(บีโอไอ)

Short name for the Board of Investment.

Cabinet(คณะรัฐมนตรี)

The government body that approved the Prime Minister's Office Regulations on the Data Center Business Policy Committee.

Data Center Business Policy Committee(คณะกรรมการนโยบายการประกอบกิจการดาต้าเซ็นเตอร์)

A national committee chaired by a Deputy Prime Minister to propose policies and standards for Data Center business operations.

AWSℹ️

A global cloud provider that invested in a Data Center in Thailand and collaborated with KMITL on a Master's degree program.

Googleℹ️

A global cloud provider that invested in a Data Center in Thailand and initiated the Digital Bridge and Samart Skills projects.

King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang(สถาบันเทคโนโลยีพระจอมเกล้าเจ้าคุณทหารลาดกระบัง)ℹ️

Academic institution that collaborated with AWS to develop Thailand's first Master's degree in Data Center Engineering.

National Energy Policy Council(คณะกรรมการนโยบายพลังงานแห่งชาติ)

The body that approved the separate electricity user category and higher rates for Data Centers.

NEPC(กพช.)

Short name for the National Energy Policy Council.

Seagate(ซีเกท)

A company producing Hard Disk Drives for Data Centers in Thailand.

Western Digital(เวสเทิร์น ดิจิตอล)ℹ️

A company producing Hard Disk Drives for Data Centers in Thailand.

Inventec(อินเวนเทค)ℹ️

A company producing AI Servers in Thailand.

QMB(คิวเอ็มบี)

A company producing AI Servers in Thailand.

Innolight(อินโนไลท์)

A company producing Optical Transceivers & Modules in Thailand.

Eoptolink(อีออปโตลิงค์)ℹ️

A company producing Optical Transceivers & Modules in Thailand.

Celestica(ซิเลซติกา)ℹ️

A company producing Optical Transceivers & Modules in Thailand.

Fabrinet(ฟาบริเนท)

A company producing Optical Transceivers & Modules in Thailand.

Delta Electronics(เดลต้า อีเลคโทรนิคส์)ℹ️

A company producing cooling systems in Thailand.

Law

Prime Minister's Office Regulations on the Data Center Business Policy Committee(ระเบียบสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรีว่าด้วยคณะกรรมการนโยบายการประกอบกิจการดาต้าเซ็นเตอร์)

The regulation governing the establishment and duties of the Data Center Business Policy Committee.