Chamber introduces regional AI institute

Roadmap focuses on robotics and data

Thailand has the potential to become a regional artificial intelligence (AI) and data centre hub by 2035, while positioning itself as a manufacturing base for humanoid robots, a leader in green digital infrastructure, and a primary source of AI talent, say pundits and academics.

"We are entering an AI economy," Djitt Laowattana, executive board member of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and board chairman of the Robotics and AI Committee, said on Monday at the launch of the UTCC AI Institute, a hub for business AI development driven by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce's (UTCC) Faculty of Engineering.

He said Thailand should aim to become the AI solution hub for Southeast Asia by focusing on becoming an expert in applying AI to real-world business solutions as 85% of the global AI market is focused on downstream applications rather than upstream development.

"While Thailand is attracting foreign data centre investment from Western and Chinese companies, simply hosting them is not enough to build a true, profitable data industry," said Mr Djitt.

The government and private sector must encourage these foreign hyperscale data centres to run their AI inference models locally within the country, he noted.

"Running these models locally will generate real business value and protect Thailand's data sovereignty," said Mr Djitt.

Moreover, the country can become a manufacturing and service hub for humanoid robots, he said. The cost of industrial robotics has dropped dramatically over the past 30 years, and new government tax incentives are accelerating the adoption of automation and humanoid robots.

With top foreign manufacturers already investing in Thai industrial zones, the country has a unique opportunity to become a regional manufacturing and service hub for humanoid robotics by focusing on creating specialised software platforms such as platforms for healthcare or security to operate these robots, rather than just relying on assembling the hardware.

Mr Djitt said that as AI operations and data centres require massive amounts of power and cooling, Thailand must prioritise green energy solutions.

He said it was crucial to develop smart grids, energy storage, direct power purchase agreements and solar farms to guarantee that at least 30% of the energy powering this digital infrastructure comes from renewable sources.

Small local businesses should act like "insects riding an elephant" by strategically partnering and integrating with large enterprises, Mr Djitt added.

Furthermore, Thailand must urgently build up its talent pool in AI and robotics through academic collaborations and clusters such as the UTCC AI Institute.

Chanwit Boonchuay, president of the AI Entrepreneur Association of Thailand, said the AI market in Thailand is worth 50 billion baht, of which 200-300 local AI companies only capture roughly 2-3 billion baht, leaving the vast majority of the revenue to foreign back-end providers.

AI Institute

Thanavath Phonvichai, president of UTCC, said that to prepare for the future the university adopted an "AI first" approach, integrating AI into 100% of its courses. The school's roadmap has progressed from being a generative AI university to being an "AI with data-driven" university, he said.

Recognising that 1% of students studying AI and information and communication technology is insufficient, UTCC aims to push that number to 10%, transforming Thai business expertise into AI assets that directly support Thai enterprises, Mr Thanavath said.

The institute is to serve as a university-level platform for applied AI for business, linking education, research, innovation, industry and international networks, he noted.

UTCC has introduced the Thai industry AI transformation initiative, the AI solution factory & digital workforce lab, and the AI talent for Thailand project. These initiatives are part of a five-year roadmap to position the institute as a leading applied AI platform in Thailand and the region.