# PwC Projects THB5 Trillion in Thai Data Centre Investment by 2050

- Link: https://www.thailand-business-news.com/investment/339320-pwc-projects-thb5-trillion-in-thai-data-centre-investment-by-2050
- Published: 2026-11-11T10:05:57+07:00
- Author: J. Allan

Thailand’s cumulative data centre investment could reach approximately THB5 trillion
by 2050, driven by demand for artificial intelligence, cloud services and domestic
data processing. PwC projects capital expenditure to rise from US$58.6 billion in
2027 to US$150 billion by 2050.

PwC said sustainable growth will depend on coordinated planning for electricity,
clean energy, water, cybersecurity, environmental standards and community needs.
The Eastern Economic Corridor was highlighted as an area requiring careful resource
management.

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Thailand’s cumulative data centre investment could reach approximately THB5 trillion
by 2050 as demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure, cloud services and
domestic data processing expands, according to a new outlook from PwC.

The projection places data centres among the infrastructure sectors expected to 
support Thailand’s digital economy over the coming decades. However, PwC said the
scale and sustainability of that expansion would depend on coordinated planning 
for electricity, clean energy, water and local community needs.

In a [November 3 release](https://www.pwc.com/th/en/press-room/press-release/2026/press-release-03-11-26-en.html),
PwC Thailand said cumulative data centre capital expenditure was projected to rise
from US$58.6 billion in 2027 to US$150 billion by 2050. The latter figure is equivalent
to approximately THB5.06 trillion, using an exchange rate of THB33.77 per US dollar
as of October 26, 2026.

The figures come from PwC’s _Global Data Centre Outlook 2026–50_, drawing on capital
expenditure modelling by Oxford Economics. The PwC-commissioned study covers 46 
countries and territories. The forecast represents cumulative expenditure, rather
than annual investment or a list of confirmed projects.

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## Cloud and AI Demand Support Expansion

Nath Asadithsakun, Deals Partner at PwC Thailand, said the country’s data centre
market was benefiting from the expansion of cloud and AI services.

“Thailand’s data centre market is receiving strong support from the rapid expansion
of cloud and AI services”, he said.

Citing Board of Investment data, Nath said Thailand recorded 36 data centre investment
projects worth a combined THB728 billion in 2025. He also identified the government’s
Cloud First policy and clean-energy initiatives, including Utility Green Tariff 
2 and Direct PPA, as factors supporting growth.

PwC said AI was changing the infrastructure required by data centres. Facilities
increasingly need to support large-scale computing workloads, alongside data storage,
with more sophisticated power management, cooling systems and digital infrastructure.

The outlook also identifies digital sovereignty as a growth driver. This refers 
to a country’s ability to exercise domestic control over the storage and processing
of data. According to PwC, growing demand for domestic data centre and cloud services
could give Thai businesses and government agencies greater choice over where their
information resides.

“Within Asia Pacific, Thailand is among the markets benefiting from growing data
centre investment”, Nath said.

> “Investment across the region is expected to continue rising, driven by growing
> demand for cloud and data residency services from the private and public sectors.”

## A Long-Term Forecast, With Infrastructure Conditions

PwC projects cumulative global data centre capital expenditure of US$31.6 trillion
between 2026 and 2050. Thailand’s forecast forms part of that broader expansion 
in the infrastructure needed to support AI, cloud computing and increasingly digital
public and commercial services.

For Thailand, PwC expects data centres to become strategic infrastructure supporting
services such as e-commerce and digital banking. Their development would therefore
carry implications beyond the investment value of individual facilities, extending
to the reliability and capacity of the country’s digital economy.

The consultancy nevertheless cautioned that resource availability would be critical.
It singled out the Eastern Economic Corridor as an area where high demand makes 
careful energy and water management particularly important. Without adequate forward
planning, increased resource consumption could affect local communities and agriculture.

PwC said investment planning needed to address sufficient power generation and transmission
capacity, wider access to clean energy, effective water management, and appropriate
environmental and location standards.

## Electricity and Water Planning Will Shape Delivery

“The growth of data centres presents an opportunity to strengthen Thailand’s digital
infrastructure, but success should not be measured by investment value alone”, Nath
said. Also explained that the supporting ecosystem must include clean-energy generation
and transmission, water management, cybersecurity, effective regulation, stringent
environmental standards and responsibility towards local communities.

That places practical infrastructure decisions alongside investment promotion. In
locations such as the EEC, the planning challenge is to accommodate additional computing
capacity while ensuring that power and water systems can continue serving households,
agriculture and other businesses. PwC’s outlook identifies that balance as a condition
for sustainable expansion.

“With systematic planning across these areas, data centre investment can grow alongside
economic development while ensuring the responsible use of resources over the long
term”, Deals Partner at PwC Thailand concluded.
