Nvidia · Nation Thailand
Thailand Risks Becoming the World’s "Landlord," Not a Tech Player, Warns KBank Economist
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Burin Adulwattana says Thailand is trading precious land, water, and power for low-value data centers while neighbors spend decades building chip ecosystems—urging Bangkok to act before it gets left behind in the AI "Super Cycle."
Key facts
- Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, NATO members now aim to lift spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035
- Copper is a prime example: prices have surged past $14,000 a tonne, and the global market faces a projected deficit of up to 10 million tonnes by 2040
- Big Tech firms are on track for a combined $610 billion in capital expenditure in 2026, up from just $30 billion a decade ago
- Thailand needs to decide urgently what role it wants to play in a world being reordered by artificial intelligence—or have that decision made for it.
- He cited a striking asymmetry: an attack drone can be built for around $20,000, while the Western interceptor systems required to shoot it down cost roughly $2 million
- an era during which NATO defense spending held steady at roughly 2.4% of GDP for three decades.
Summary
Thailand needs to decide urgently what role it wants to play in a world being reordered by artificial intelligence—or have that decision made for it.
That was the stark warning from Burin Adulwattana , chief economist at KASIKORNbank, during a special segment of the KASIKORN Research Center’s half-year briefing.