TikTok will invest 127 billion baht ($3.8 billion) in Thailand in a data hosting service, the Board of Investment said on Wednesday.
The new data centre is intended to support activities of companies affiliated with the globally popular video site, which has also made a successful foray into e-commerce. Operations are slated to begin in 2026, the BoI said.
The investment is being made by the Singapore unit of the China-based TikTok parent ByteDance. It was among $5 billion worth of approved new projects announced on Wednesday.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for confirmation.
The move is the latest of several data centres planned by global tech giants in Thailand. Last year, Google said it would invest $1 billion in a data hub in Chon Buri, a year after Amazon Web Services announced a $5-billion investment in the country over 15 years. Microsoft has also announced it would open its first regional data centre in Thailand.
TikTok’s plans “mark a significant step in enhancing Thailand’s digital and AI infrastructure”, said BoI secretary-general Narit Therdsteerasukdi, adding that it would help bring the country closer to its goal of becoming a regional hub.
The board also approved a 3.25-billion-baht project by Siam AI Corporation, a Thai cloud partner of the US chip designer Nvidia, to set up services focusing on artificial intelligence applications.
TikTok’s Thai investment comes amid uncertainty over its US operations as the clock ticks on a 75-day reprieve given by President Donald Trump to find a domestic buyer.
Thailand is “the next frontier” for the world’s data centre boom, according to Macquarie Equity Research, which cited the country’s ample power supply and high grid stability as key selling points.
But a shortage of skilled workers will prove a challenge, Macquarie analysts said in a report last month.
TikTok’s investment is a shot in the arm for Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government, which has pledged fresh incentives to attract global companies looking to minimise the hit from the US-China trade war that is likely to intensify under the Trump administration.
In 2024, investment pledges in Thailand surged 35% from a year earlier to 1.14 trillion baht, the highest since 2014. The government is targeting fresh proposals worth at least 1 trillion baht this year.
