H.E. Robert F. Godec, the U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, recently delivered a keynote address at the CP Innovation Exposition & Symposium 2025, an event hosted by CP Group. In his remarks, Ambassador Godec highlighted innovation as a cornerstone of the deep and enduring U.S.-Thailand relationship.
He celebrated over 190 years of diplomatic ties, calling Thailand America’s first friend in Asia, and emphasized that shared commitments to innovation, creation, and technological advancement are woven into the very fabric of their commercial, security, cultural, and educational relations. He underscored that mutual progress and prosperity are fundamentally reliant on the ability to innovate.
Ambassador Godec illustrated the dramatic acceleration of progress in modern times, contrasting it with a millennium ago when lives saw minimal change. Today, revolutionary shifts occur rapidly: a smartphone’s computing power far exceeds that of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, and wrist-worn health devices monitor vital signs in real time—tasks once unimaginable or requiring hospital visits. This rapid innovation, driven by creators and entrepreneurs, has dramatically improved lives, making them “dramatically longer, healthier, happier, and better.”
For governments, he asserted, the role is to foster an environment conducive to innovation through reliable public infrastructure, fair and predictable rules, and robust education systems. He specifically praised CP Group’s contributions to daily life in Thailand, referencing TrueMoney, 7-Eleven accessibility, and True Digital Park as examples of delivering new products and improved services.
Highlighting the strength of the U.S.-Thailand tech partnership, Ambassador Godec noted long-term U.S. investment in Thailand’s hard drive ecosystem, supporting the world’s data economy and local jobs for over 40 years through companies like Seagate and Western Digital. Further solidifying this bond are major new investments by Amazon Web Services, Google, and Microsoft in data centers, poised to transform Thailand’s digital economy and the broader region. He cited Google’s Project Greenlight in Bangkok as a success, easing traffic and cutting emissions, and mentioned joint satellite work for enhanced maritime monitoring and disaster response.
Looking ahead, Ambassador Godec identified Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the “most exciting frontier.” He detailed the U.S. government’s strategy under President Trump’s leadership to harness AI for future innovation and jobs, a transformation he likened to the Industrial Revolution. This involves aligning infrastructure, establishing clear rules, and promoting skills development to foster a level playing field and global competitiveness.
The U.S. approach focuses on robust partnerships across the entire “AI stack”—from chips and cloud infrastructure to data governance and application development—through initiatives like the American AI Exports Program.
His Excellency clarifies the meaning of the approach by stating that “America first does not mean America alone. “We are aligning infrastructure, writing clear rules and promoting skills development so companies can deploy trusted AI faster and compete globally.”
Ambassador Godec concluded by affirming the U.S. and American companies’ commitment to standing with Thailand. He urged continued collaboration, investment in skills, and creation of the right environment to solve problems and improve lives, emphasizing that progress must be shaped by partnership, guided by trust, and measured by shared prosperity for both nations and the world.
