Bangkok: The DataCenter board has revealed the outcomes of its inaugural meeting, where new regulatory rules were established to mitigate public impact. Deputy Prime Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, alongside key government officials, announced these developments at a press conference held at the Phakdi Bodin Building, Government House.
According to Thai News Agency, Deputy Prime Minister Ekniti emphasized the Prime Minister's directive to manage data centers effectively, aiming to align investments with Thailand's broader digital strategy. The new approach will transition from project-specific approvals to a national strategy and framework, ensuring that investments contribute positively to the country's development trajectory.
One significant issue addressed involves streamlining the approval process for establishing data centers, which currently involves multiple agencies. A unified database will be created to clarify and organize relevant data, facilitating smoother operations.
The committee also underscored the importance of setting minimum standards to prevent negative impacts on the public and the environment. These standards will be applied universally to ensure public safety across economic, social, and environmental dimensions.
Strategic advancements were also a focal point, with an emphasis on aligning data center operations with national strategies, including clean energy and AI development. This initiative aims to enhance accessibility for Thai enterprises, particularly SMEs, and mandates that entities using Thailand as a data center base must contribute to national benefits.
The committee outlined a review mechanism to ensure all businesses adhere to minimum standards and national strategies, maximizing benefits for Thailand. This includes generating income, supporting the digital economy, and progressing towards Net Zero goals. An evaluation model will be developed to guide competition and proposal selection, ensuring optimal returns from data center investments.
The meeting concluded with several resolutions: accelerating data integration into a unified system, standardizing regulations for data center governance, designing a distributed power supply, and establishing multi-dimensional evaluation criteria to select beneficial data centers for Thailand's economy and society.