- Thailand approves TikTok's $26 billion investment plan to expand data infrastructure.
- The Asian expansion echoes TikTok's global strategy following its multi-billion euro data center investments in Europe last month.
Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) said Wednesday that it has approved TikTok's massive data center expansion plan in the country, a project valued at 842 billion baht ($26 billion).
The investment is one of six major projects recently approved by Thailand, aimed at strengthening the country's core role in regional digital infrastructure.
ByteDance-owned TikTok will install additional servers and comprehensively expand its data storage and processing facilities across Bangkok, Samut Prakan, and Chachoengsao.
The move will effectively support the region's growing demand for digital services. The short-video platform currently boasts a massive user base of over 368 million in Southeast Asia.
Beyond its core infrastructure investment, TikTok has also committed to developing professional training curricula and systems related to digital literacy and e-commerce in Thailand.
These initiatives will help local Thai entrepreneurs create new business opportunities and further enhance the overall market competitiveness of the country's digital workforce.
Driven by the development of artificial intelligence (AI), total investment applications surged to over 1 trillion baht in the first quarter of 2026, the BOI said last week.
TikTok established its Thai entity in 2021 as a regional operating office for its international business center operations, receiving relevant investment promotion support.
While expanding its footprint in Asia, TikTok is also continuing to advance its digital infrastructure construction and data security layout in the European market.
The company announced last month that it will invest 1 billion euros to build a second data center in Lahti, Finland, as part of its 12-billion-euro "Project Clover."
($1 = 32.3000 baht)
