AWS plants flag in Thailand with new cloud region

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched its highly anticipated Bangkok cloud region in Thailand, marking a significant investment in the country’s growing digital economy.

The construction and ongoing operation of the new region is expected to add about $10bn to Thailand’s GDP and support an average of more than 11,000 full-time-equivalent jobs at external businesses annually.

These jobs, including construction, facility maintenance, engineering, telecommunications and others within the country’s broader economy, will be part of the AWS supply chain in Thailand.

Backed by a planned investment exceeding $5bn, the cloud region will offer a suite of cloud services, including compute, storage, analytics, networking, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

It comprises three availability zones, strategically located to ensure high availability and fault tolerance for mission-critical applications. Each availability zone operates independently with its own power, cooling and physical security, interconnected through redundant, low-latency networks.

The new infrastructure will enable developers, startups, enterprises, government agencies, educational institutions and non-profits in Thailand to build and deploy applications locally in Thailand, serving end-users with lower latency and enhanced performance.

The Thai cloud region expands AWS’s infrastructure footprint to 111 availability zones across 35 geographic regions. The company has also announced plans to launch 15 more availability zones and five additional cloud regions globally in the near future.

AWS’s investment in Thailand extends beyond infrastructure. The company is also fostering local talent and has trained over 50,000 individuals in cloud skills since 2017. Through programmes such as AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance, AWS Academy, and the Tech for Digital Future programme, AWS aims to equip the next generation of IT professionals with cloud computing expertise.

The launch of the new region was welcomed by some of the largest companies in Thailand. These include Bank of Ayudhya, also known as Krungsri; Charoen Pokphand Group; Kasikorn Business-Technology Group; and the Stock Exchange of Thailand, all of which are already using AWS to drive innovation and efficiency in their operations.

“As our strategic cloud provider, AWS plays a critical role in driving our Krungsri cloud programme, which serves more than 12 million people. With a local Thailand region, this will expand the Krungsri and AWS partnership tremendously and will significantly expand the possibilities,” said Pochara Vanaratseath, head of IT at Bank of Ayudhya.

The new AWS region also promises to empower government agencies like the Big Data Institute (BDI) to deliver critical services more efficiently and securely.

“With the new AWS Thailand region, we are excited to announce that the Big Data Institute will migrate Health Link, our decentralised health information exchange service, to AWS’s datacentres in Thailand,” said Tiranee Achalakul, president and CEO of BDI. “Health Link is set to provide effective patient care by enabling seamless access to health records without centrally storing sensitive information.”

Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra noted that with the launch of the new cloud region, Thailand’s potential and readiness are being recognised 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,” she said.