The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) announced first-quarter 2026 investment applications exceeding 1.01 trillion baht (31.8 billion USD) across more than 600 projects, led by the Digital and Electronics sectors riding the AI wave, followed by Clean Energy, Agriculture & Food Processing, Logistics, and Automotive. Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Japan recorded the highest investment values, reaffirming Thailand’s role as a destination for the industries of the future.
Mr. Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI), said that despite global volatility and shifting production bases, Thailand continues to draw strong investor interest. In the first quarter, 624 projects were submitted with combined investment value of 1,016,962 million baht — about 2.4 times the value recorded in the same period last year, driven by large-scale projects in the Digital and Electronics sectors. This reflects investor confidence in Thailand’s potential as a base for high-technology investment. The five industries with the highest investment value were as follows:
- Digital: 873,741 million baht (27.3 billion USD) across 48 projects, mostly in data centers and cloud services. Major investors come from Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia, including TikTok System, Global Switch, Skyline Data Center & Cloud Services, and Evolution Data Center — reinforcing Thailand’s role as a regional hub for digital and AI infrastructure.
- Electronics & Electrical Appliances: 40,456 million baht (1.3 billion USD) from 80 projects, focusing on advanced electronic components, Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), and critical Data Center equipment such as HDDs, Optical Transceivers, and AI Data Center servers. Investors come from the United States, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, including Multi-Fineline Electronics, Celestica, Inventec, Cal-Comp Electronics, Western Digital Storage Technologies, Fabrinet, and Canon Hi-Tech — many already operating in Thailand and now expanding into higher-technology products to meet AI and next-generation industrial demand.
- Energy & Utilities: 17,103 million baht (534.5 million USD) across 108 projects, primarily in clean power generation, especially solar and wind. Investments come from Thai operators including Voltsync Solution, NP Watt, and Kanchanaburi Solar Energy, supporting Thailand’s transition to clean energy and its greenhouse gas reduction goals.
- Agriculture & Food Processing: 16,963 million baht (530 million USD) across 61 projects, largely value-added processing of agricultural produce — natural rubber products, modified starch — and livestock and animal-breeding operations. Investments come from Thai companies including Sri Trang Agro-Industry, Siam Quality Starch, and Farm Luck, reflecting Thailand’s strength in turning agricultural raw materials into high-value products for both domestic and global markets.
- Logistics & High-Value Services: 14,548 million baht (454.6 million USD) across 68 projects. Most are in air transport — by Thai Airways, Thai Lion Mentari, and Bangkok Airways — cargo handling for container vessels by Bangkok Gateway Terminal, and several maritime transport projects, strengthening Thailand’s regional connectivity.
Other target industries also drew significant investment. Automotive & Parts attracted 13,328 million baht (416.5 million USD) across 63 projects, including upgrades to vehicle production lines for new technologies, automotive and aircraft tire manufacturing, and other auto components. Minerals, Metals, and Materials reached 11,739 million baht (366.8 million USD) from 63 projects; Petrochemicals & Chemicals 10,717 million baht (334.9 million USD) across 65 projects; and Machinery, Automation, and Robotics 8,081 million baht (252.5 million USD) from 38 projects.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Overview:
FDI continued to expand, with 427 projects submitted and combined investment value of 965,869 million baht (30.2 billion USD). The top 10 countries/economies by investment value were Singapore, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United States, the Netherlands, Malaysia, and Sweden.
Driving Smart and Sustainable Industry Forward:
Applications under the BOI’s Smart and Sustainable Industry measure — which supports upgrading existing operations — continued to draw strong interest. In Q1 2026, 61 applications were submitted with combined investment of 7,071 million baht (221.0 million USD). Most projects involve energy savings, renewable-energy use, machinery upgrades, automation and robotics adoption, and digital technologies to improve efficiency.
Approvals and Economic Impact:
In Q1 2026, the BOI approved 649 projects with combined investment value of 330,132 million baht (10.3 billion USD). These projects are expected to draw on more than 200 billion baht (6.25 billion USD) of domestic raw materials per year, create over 42,000 jobs for Thai workers, and add more than 520 billion baht (16.2 billion USD) in annual export value.
“First-quarter investment applications above 1 trillion Baht are a clear signal that Thailand is shifting from a traditional manufacturing base to a base for the industries of the future — led by Digital and the AI supply chain, which has become the backbone of the global economy. In a challenging global environment, Thailand has shown it is ready to host investment from around the world, especially in advanced technology. Our strengths run deep: infrastructure, a stable power grid, clean-energy capacity, quality talent, a robust supply chain, government support, and a position outside geopolitical conflict. The BOI will keep working proactively to anchor Thailand as the region’s investment hub and to build the new industries that will power growth and create meaningful jobs for Thai people in the years ahead,” Mr. Narit said.
