On 26 January 2026, H.E. Ms. Lada Phumas, Ambassador of Thailand to Malaysia, received a courtesy call by a delegation from the International Institute for Trade and Development (Public Organisation) (ITD), led by Mr. Wimon Punkong, Deputy Executive Director (Academic), during their visit to Malaysia to conduct research on the “Establishment and Development of Sustainable Data Centres in Thailand and ASEAN”.

 

The Ambassador discussed and exchanged information on Malaysia’s economic, political and social landscape, particularly on the digital economy as Malaysia’s national agenda, the goal of becoming an “AI Nation” by 2030, policies and ecosystem for data centre investment and development, as well as legal framework on data security and environmental protection. The information will contribute to the ITD’s research and formulation of recommendations to support Thailand’s data centre policy development. On this occasion, the Ambassador reaffirmed the Embassy’s readiness to support the academic cooperation with the ITD to jointly enhance Thailand’s capacity and competitiveness.

 

According to the Ministry of Economy of Malaysia, the country’s digital economy in 2024 was valued RM451.30 billion, accounting for 23.4% of the GDP. Between 2021 and the first half of 2025, Malaysia approved 143 data centre projects, representing a total investment value of RM144.40 billion.