Thailand is pressing Google for a larger share of the company's Southeast Asian expansion after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the technology group had invested around $6 billion in the kingdom and could match or exceed its planned $15 billion programme in Malaysia.

Anutin met Alphabet President and Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat at Government House in Bangkok on 5 November. No new Thai investment agreement was announced after the meeting, and the government's $6 billion figure has not been supported by a published breakdown of expenditure.

The talks underline a growing regional contest for investment in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and hyperscale data centres, as governments across Southeast Asia compete for the power, water and skilled workers that large digital projects need.

Malaysia's $15 billion programme

Google announced on 4 November that it plans to invest $15 billion in Malaysia during 2027 and 2028. The programme covers new data centre campuses in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, alongside its first Malaysian campus at Elmina Business Park in Selangor, which is already operational.

The spending will also go towards clean energy, water security and upskilling workers. Google said construction during 2027 and 2028 was expected to support more than 37,000 local jobs a year and generate average annual labour income of $378 million, while contributing an annual average of $1.1 billion to Malaysia's gross domestic product.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who witnessed the announcement in Kuala Lumpur, described it as a major milestone in Malaysia's efforts to become a leading digital power in Southeast Asia. The $15 billion programme builds on a $2 billion investment announced in May 2024, which included Google's first Malaysian data centre and cloud region.

What Thailand has documented so far

Thailand's documented Google commitment is considerably smaller. The Board of Investment recorded a $1 billion infrastructure commitment in September 2024, covering a data centre and cloud region, and the Bangkok cloud region officially opened on 21 January 2026.

Government spokesman Ekkapob Pianpises said the 5 November discussions focused on potential investment expansion, electricity supply, water use, licensing rules and artificial intelligence training. Anutin has said company representatives expressed readiness to invest in Thailand at a level no lower than in Malaysia, a claim he repeated on the programme Talk with PM Anutin on 7 November.

Google has forecast that its original 2024 investment could contribute about $4 billion to Thailand's economy by 2029 and support an average of 14,000 jobs a year between 2025 and 2029.

A regional race for data centres

The contest is not only about headline sums. Malaysia has introduced data centre power tariffs and limits on some non-AI development, while Thailand last week advanced a proposed framework requiring developers to compete for electricity and water allocations through government-run pitching rounds.

For Thailand, the question is whether the talks with Porat turn into a signed commitment with a timetable and a published figure. For Malaysia, the test will be delivering the campuses, energy and jobs promised for 2027 and 2028. Until either happens, the $15 billion remains a future investment plan, not spending already completed.