Thailand is expected to finalize new data center regulations by mid-October that will classify hyperscale facilities with more than 100MW capacity.

Regulatory clarity on datacenter classification will help establish permitting standards for large AI infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia.

Trade pressSlicast · September 25, 2026 at 13:06 UTC · Global · Source: Data Center Dynamics

importance 55

The Thai government is expected to finalize a new data center regulatory framework by mid-October. The regulations will establish rules for facility size, electricity use, and location, according to Danucha Pichayanan, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).

Government agencies have submitted data informing the framework, including details on existing operators, size-based classification criteria, and average electricity and water consumption. The Energy Ministry will set electricity use limits for data centers under a dedicated tariff system already in place.

Data centers with power consumption of 100MW or more are expected to be classified as hyperscale facilities, though the final threshold remains subject to the policy committee's review. Facilities classified as industrial operations must locate in designated industrial estates to prevent adverse effects on residential areas.

Construction of new data centers was suspended last month to allow time for drafting the regulations, putting approximately 49 projects on hold. Thai officials also froze approvals for 117 planned facilities, though specific facilities affected have not been disclosed.

Thailand has experienced substantial data center investment in recent years as developers pursue opportunities in the AI sector. In the first half of 2026 alone, Thailand's Board of Investment approved 88 artificial intelligence and data center projects worth approximately 886 billion baht (about $27 billion).

Several major hyperscalers already operate in the country. Amazon Web Services launched a cloud region there in January 2025, followed by Google, which opened its cloud region in Bangkok in January. Microsoft is currently developing a region in Thailand and revealed in October 2025 that it would use True IDC for one of its availability zones. Alibaba Cloud operates two data centers in the country.

Read the original