When workers are assembling fiber optic components thinner than a human hair on the Ayutthaya production line north of Bangkok, these parts will be shipped globally and become key blood vessels for high-speed transmission in AI data centers.

At the same time, the Investment Promotion Commission of Thailand released a set of data: from 2021 to June 2026, 79 photonics industry projects applied for investment incentives, with a total investment of over 82.7 billion Thai baht. From fiber optic to optical transceiver modules, an industrial corridor connecting the AI world is taking shape in Thailand.

82.7 billion baht industrial chain puzzle

Photon technology uses optical signals to transmit data, with advantages such as high speed, low energy consumption, and low signal loss, and has become the core infrastructure of AI data centers and high-speed communication networks. BOI Secretary General Nali stated that, AI、 The rapid development of cloud computing and high-performance computing is driving photon technology to become the key to digital infrastructure.

79 investment projects cover various levels of the industrial chain: 12 fiber optic manufacturing projects, 13.7 billion Thai baht; 47 cases of manufacturing optical communication components and equipment, totaling 19.5 billion Thai baht; Complete optical communication product manufacturing 20 cases, 49.4 billion Thai baht. Several global top suppliers have rooted themselves in Thailand: Lumentum International is an important partner of Nvidia; Celestica and Fabrinet have Thailand as their main production base, supplying optical components required by Nvidia, Cisco, and Amazon Web Services; Terahop and Eoptolink rank among the top two global manufacturers of optical transceiver modules. These enterprises collectively employ over 20000 Thai employees, forming a cluster of highly skilled talents.

Breaking away from the dispersed layout of the Eastern Economic Corridor

The investment in the photonics industry has not been concentrated in the traditional Eastern Economic Corridor. Of the 79 projects, approximately 60% (48 projects) are located outside of EEC, including 16 in Dacheng Prefecture, 10 in Baton Thani Prefecture, 9 in Sarawak Prefecture, and 4 in Beilan Prefecture. This decentralized layout not only drives regional economic development and talent cultivation, but also reflects the extension of Thailand's photonics industry chain from a single region to multiple parts of the country. Keywords: AI data center, Southeast Asian news

BOI stated that it will continue to promote investment in the entire photonics industry chain and strengthen professional talent training with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation to support Thailand in building future manufacturing bases for industries such as AI, data centers, and semiconductors. As the optical modules from the Thai factory move from the production line to Nvidia's data center, this Southeast Asian country is quietly turning from a manufacturing base to a key node in the AI supply chain.Editor/Cheng Liting