AWS to launch cloud infrastructure region in Thailand

• Plans to invest more than US$5 billion in Thailand over 15 years
• Supporting transformation local infrastructure investments

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced plans to open an infrastructure region in Thailand. 

In a statement, the cloud player said its new AWS Asia Pacific (Bangkok) region will consist of three availability zones, adding to the existing 87 availability zones across 27 geographic regions. 

It said globally, AWS has announced plans for 24 more availability zones across eight more AWS Regions in Australia, Canada, India, Israel, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and Thailand. 

The upcoming AWS region in Thailand will enable developers, startups, and enterprises, as well as government, education, and nonprofit organisations, to run their applications and serve end users from AWS data centers located in Thailand, it said.

This will ensure that customers who want to keep their data in Thailand can do so, it said. 

In addition, as part of its commitment to the region, AWS said it plans an estimated investment of more than US$5 billion (RM23.5 billion) in Thailand over 15 years. 

Prasad Kalyanaraman, vice president of Infrastructure Services at AWS, said the firm is committed to supporting Thailand's digital transformation through its local infrastructure investments and fast pace of innovation. 

“This will help Thailand-based customers unlock the full potential of the cloud to transform the way businesses and institutions serve their stakeholders.

“The AWS Asia Pacific (Bangkok) region will enable organisations to build with AWS technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, data analytics, and Internet of Things,” said Kalyanaraman.

With these new tools, AWS said is empowering governments to better engage with citizens, enterprises to innovate for their next phase of growth, and entrepreneurs to build businesses and compete on a global scale.

Supattanapong Punmeechaow, deputy prime minister of thailand and minister of energy, said AWS’s plan to build data centers in Thailand is a significant milestone that will bring advanced cloud computing services to more organisations.

“The Royal Thai government is pleased to collaborate with AWS to bring secure and resilient world-class cloud infrastructure to Thailand.

“The firm’s investment will enhance the nation’s competitiveness, generate significant long-term economic benefits, and help build a highly skilled workforce,” Punmeechaow said.

The upcoming AWS Asia Pacific (Bangkok) region is the latest in AWS’s ongoing investments in Thailand to provide customers with advanced and secure cloud technologies.

Since 2020, AWS said it has launched 10 Amazon CloudFront edge locations in Bangkok, the cloud player said.

Additionally, the firm plans to deepen its investment in Thailand with the launch of an upcoming AWS local zone in Bangkok.

It said these zones are a type of AWS infrastructure deployment that places compute, storage, database, and other select services closer to large population, industry, and IT centers, enabling customers to deliver applications that require single-digit millisecond latency to end users.

To support the growth in cloud adoption across Thailand, AWS said it continues to invest in upskilling local developers, students, and the next generation of IT leaders in Thailand through programs like AWS re/Start, AWS Academy, and AWS Educate. 

These AWS education programmes help learners of all backgrounds and experiences prepare for careers in the cloud, it added.