Thailand First-Half Investment Applications Hit USD 32.5 billion on Soaring Data Center Sector, Significant Pledges in E&E and Infrastructure, BOI Says
BANGKOK, July 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Thailand Board of Investment today announced that applications for investment promotion in the first half of 2025 increased by 139% from the year earlier period to a record 1.06 trillion baht (ca. USD 32.5 billion) led by a 20-fold rise to 522.6 billion baht in digital sector pledges, as well as continued investment in the electrical and electronic appliance (E&E) sector, and rail infrastructure.
Mr. Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the BOI, announced that investment promotion applications for the first half of 2025 rose 139% year-on-year to a record 1.06 trillion baht (USD 32.5 billion), driven by a 20-fold increase in digital sector investments and continued growth in the E&E and rail infrastructure sectors.
The data center business alone attracted a combined investment value of 521.2 billion baht from 28 projects, as foreign and local tech companies continued to address the soaring demand for cloud services from hyperscalers. Over the past several months, global cloud service companies (hyperscalers) like Amazon Web Services and Google, as well as platforms such as TikTok, have announced plans to expand in Thailand and the region.
In other segments of the digital sector, cloud services saw two applications worth a combined investment of 671 million baht, while 59 applications were filed for software and digital platform development projects, representing 669 million baht in combined investment.
"The applications during the past six months confirm that our strategy to focus on high-tech and high-value sectors is paying off," said Mr. Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the BOI. "The overall increase in both number of projects and investment value reflects investors' confidence in Thailand's potential and good economic fundamentals. I believe this will allow for full year 2025 applications to exceed last year's performance."
The E&E sector came in second amongst target sectors, attracting 125.79 billion baht worth of applications, down 9% from the year earlier period, while the number of projects was up 51% to 268, including investments in the manufacturing of battery cells and high-density batteries, supercapacitors, smart electrical appliances, smart electronics, and printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) using surface mount technology.
The automotive and parts sector accounted for 172 applications, up 27%, representing combined investments of 45.2 billion baht, up 14%. The agriculture and food processing sector accounted for 184 applications, up 25%, for a combined investment value of 30.79 billion baht, up 1%. Petrochemicals and chemicals came in fifth with 161 applications, up 63%, worth a combined 26.73 billion baht, up 16%.
The renewable energy sector saw a total of 191 applications in the first half, representing a combined 42.24 billion baht of investment, an increase of 4% from a year earlier.
Applications during the period also included Bangkok Expressway and Metro PCL's 109.2 billion baht investment in the construction of the Orange Line which will connect Bangkok's western and eastern suburbs, over a distance of 35.9 kilometers, facilitating travel in the city.
In the first half of 2025, there were a total of 1,880 applications for investment promotion, an increase of 38% from the same period of last year. In the first half of 2024, some 1,363 applications were filed, with an adjusted investment value of 443.66 billion baht, in which the digital sector accounted for only 25.1 billion baht.
The first half performance comes after a record 2024, during which Thailand's total applications for investment promotion soared 35% in value to a 10-year high of 1.14 trillion baht, as the digital sector topped for the first time the sectoral rankings with a combined 243.3 billion baht in pledged investment, ahead of the E&E sector's 231.7 billion baht.
FDI Projects Account for 70% of Applications in First Half 2025
From January to June 2025, there was a total of 1,369 foreign direct investment (FDI) applications, an increase of 59% from the year earlier period, which together represented a combined 737.57 billion baht in investment, up 132%, and representing as much as 70% of the total value of applications during the period.
Singapore was the largest source of FDI applications in terms of value, mainly due to projects in digital and E&E sectors, with a combined worth of 246.98 billion baht, accounting for 33% of all FDI pledges. The 248 applications by Singapore-based companies also topped the rankings in the digital sector, with a combined investment value of 186.74 billion baht in that industry.
Hong Kong followed with 218.64 billion baht worth of projects, accounting for 30% of FDI pledges. The 147 applications by Hong Kong-based entities were also mainly in the digital and E&E sectors.
China ranked third with 102.26 billion baht investment worth of applications, accounting for 14% of FDI pledges, from a total of 587 projects. Most projects are in the E&E sector and the petrochemical and chemical industry.
The United Kingdom came next with 16 applications worth a combined investment value of 93.73 billion baht, a 25-fold increase from the 3.68 billion filed during the year earlier period, mostly due to projects in the digital sector and the automotive and parts industry.
Japan completed the top 5 sources of FDI applications during the first half with a combined value of 49.82 billion baht from 186 projects, mostly in the automotive and parts industry and the E&E sector.
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