Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella announced on Wednesday that Microsoft will be making big plans in Southeast Asia. They’re going to build a new data center in Thailand, and they’re also going to help over 100,000 people learn about AI. Plus, they’ll support local developers. However, they didn’t say how much money they’ll invest.
Just the day before, Nadella said Microsoft will put $1.7 billion into Indonesia over the next four years. This money will go into making new cloud and AI infrastructure.
Nadella thinks Thailand has a great chance to become digital-first with AI. He believes these investments will help Thailand grow both in the government and private sectors.
Microsoft sees that companies in Thailand want more cloud services. With these plans, Thailand can make the most of the opportunities AI brings for its economy and productivity.
The Prime Minister of Thailand, Srettha Thavisin, said this announcement from Microsoft is a big deal for Thailand’s growth and innovation.
Microsoft has been growing its presence in Southeast Asia. They talked about making new data centers in Malaysia and Indonesia last year. Right now, they have a data center in Singapore for Southeast Asia.
The AI industry is making cloud services and data centers more important. You need lots of data to train AI, and the cloud gives access to big sets of data. Data centers are where this data lives.
Microsoft also said they want to help 2.5 million people in the ASEAN region, which includes Thailand and Indonesia, learn about AI by 2025.
