Dear Soi Residents and Soi Builders,
Two topics that dominated Bangkok’s news cycle in August and will likely play out this month: the homeless crackdown, which drew criticism from NGOs, and data center development, which prompted environmental and legal concerns.
By the numbers: Soiciety reported in mid-July there were at least 30 data centers operating in Bangkok. Data Center Map now lists 49 in Greater Bangkok.
Yes, but… The majority have existed for years. The concern is around newer hyperscale, standalone centers — AI-focused ones that have made headlines internationally for their energy consumption.
The gap: Thailand has no dedicated regulation for data centers. The city classifies these as warehouses, not factories, allowing them to bypass environmental review.
What’s next: A newly appointed data center policy committee is supposed to have its first meeting today. Read more about this in the upcoming Sunday issue.
Otherwise, here are news items that didn’t make August’s Sunday editions, plus my September watchlist.
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