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Deloitte Thailand identifies operating models, technology adoption and investor confidence

The public and private sectors must work on three key areas collaboratively to improve Thailand’s economic prospects, according to Metinee Jongsaliswang, country managing partner of Deloitte Thailand.

The first area for businesses to focus on is optimising their operating models, she said during a panel discussion at the Bangkok Post Economic Forum 2025 on Friday.

While cost cutting can help entrepreneurs in turbulent times, Ms Metinee emphasised redesigning operating models to capture value with fewer friction points.

Second, she said businesses should take optimum advantage of technologies as growth multipliers, as tech is now mandatory.

According to Deloitte’s CEO survey of companies in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation nations, 60% have applied artificial intelligence (AI) in two or more of their business functions.

However, to ensure the effective application of AI in business, Ms Metinee said firms should set clear goals and develop use cases, because 95% of companies around the globe have failed to effectively apply such technology due to unclear goals.

“We must be in the 5% group. We must ensure we know what we are doing and what we achieved,” she said.

Finally, investor confidence must be reinforced as investors across the globe are looking for more stability and transparency, said Ms Metinee.

This can be achieved through enhancing transparency and good governance to foster trust in financial systems, while ensuring accountability throughout Thailand’s value chain, she said.

To accomplish these goals, Ms Metinee suggested strong collaboration between the government and private sectors.

She said Thailand should embrace technological transformation and position itself as a digital hub, while equipping the younger generation with technological and future-ready skills.

As data becomes a strategic asset, the nation needs to leverage data centres. Deloitte expects the global sovereign cloud market to grow by 26%, reaching $170 billion in 2028.

“This target is only three years away, right around the corner. We must leverage this to obtain reliable demand, high performance and energy-efficient data infrastructure in Thailand,” said Ms Metinee.

“This is not only the government’s responsibility, but all of us here. Public-private partnership is timely and necessary.”

Strong foundation paves the way for industry-specific innovation, says Huawei Thailand chief

Strong data-related technological infrastructure is key to ensuring Thailand’s economic stability, says Chawapol Jariyawiroj, president of Huawei Technologies (Thailand).

While technology and innovation contribute to economic stability, the country needs to ensure the strength of data-related foundational infrastructure and industry-specific technology to secure an impactful outcome, Mr Chawapol said during a panel discussion at the Bangkok Post Economic Forum 2025 on Friday.

He said digitisation and technology make vital contributions to Thai economic development and stability by breaking limits and making the country competitive.

“Some people may see these contributions as bits and pieces, but for Huawei these technologies require data to deliver tangible outcomes,” said Mr Chawapol.

“Technologies and platforms are necessary to capture and deliver this data between equipment quickly and within countries securely.”

Furthermore, he said these data-related technologies must be environmentally friendly.

“All of these technologies deliver digital intelligence, enabling the public and private sectors in Thailand to redefine themselves and reinvent,” said Mr Chawapol.

To ensure effective infrastructure in telecoms and connectivity for Thailand’s economic development and stability, he suggested strengthening the foundational infrastructure in areas such as cloud computing, seeking high speed and low disruption with strong security to handle sensitive data.

“When we talk about enabling the Thai economy, it is not only tourism or healthcare. These are the types of critical work and data applications via technology that cannot decrease,” said Mr Chawapol.

With a strong foundational infrastructure, Thailand could move on to work on industry-specific infrastructure and technology, which requires industry expertise and specific technology compatible with each industry.

As an example, Thailand aspires to be a wellness and healthcare hub and has strong potential to become one, attracting quality visitors, he said.

Technology could enhance the potential of this hub and it requires specific data such as health data, behavioural data and financial data to work, said Mr Chawapol, adding each data requires a specific form of technology to function effectively.

“Insightful data can help developers craft impactful applications that allow industry operators to create service excellence that is both valuable and sustainable,” he said.

“In terms of digitisation, I urge us to think about how we build this sustainability with our own local system.”—Government urged to work with businesses to lift economic growth

Skipper of chartered fishing vessel found unconscious but alive

All 14 passengers were rescued after a chartered fishing boat capsized off the coast of Pattaya on Friday, with the skipper found unconscious but alive and brought ashore for emergency treatment.

The incident occurred when the vessel carrying 14 Thai tourists sank near Koh Man Wichai, about 20 kilometres off the coast of Pattaya city in Chon Buri, after being hit by strong waves and high winds.

Natthawut Sihamat, 28, said he and 13 family members had travelled from Bangkok and hired the fishing boat from skipper Suphat Juyaem, known as “Tai Lek”, to take them to Koh Man Wichai, a small island located 11km southwest of Koh Lan. They boarded the boat at Laem Bali Hai pier around 7am.

At about 9am, while the boat was heading out to sea, the skipper went below deck to fix the engine, saying the bilge pump was not working. As he was repairing it, strong waves and winds struck, causing the vessel to turn sideways against the waves. A powerful wave then hit the boat on the port side, causing it to list heavily and sink rapidly.

Mr Natthawut said he rushed to help everyone grab onto anything they could for survival as the vessel went down. They floated in the sea for more than seven hours.

Yongyut Decharasamee, another passenger, said that not all of the passengers had properly fitted life jackets, and some could not swim.

Four people, including a young girl, volunteered to swim to Koh Man Wichai to seek help, while the others including the skipper and two young boys continued holding on in open water until a rescue team arrived.

Mr Yongyut said he drifted in the sea for hours before managing to reach Koh Man Wichai, where he met up with the four who had gone there earlier. (Story continues below)

All missing passengers and the boat skipper are taken to shore after their boat capsized off Pattaya on Friday. (Photo: Amporn Sangkaew)

According to the Chon Buri Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (Thai-MECC), the alarm was first raised at 1.33pm through a marine rescue Line group and the emergency hotline 1465.

The Thai-MECC deployed patrol vessel 4008 to search the area, coordinating efforts with nearby boats in rough sea conditions.

Authorities urged all vessels in surrounding waters to immediately report sightings of survivors or floating objects to the 1465 hotline.

At 5.30pm, rescue units reported that all of the missing people, including the skipper, had been located and retrieved from the water. One person was found unresponsive but with vital signs. All were being transferred from inflatable rescue boats to shore.

Authorities also corrected earlier reports that the boat was carrying 13 people, saying there were 15 in all — the skipper and 14 passengers. All of the survivors are safe. However, Mr Suphat was suffering the effects of severe water inhalation and lost consciousness before being rushed to hospital for treatment.

Officials said a full investigation was under way into the cause of the capsize and the boat’s safety equipment.

The fishing boat that carried 14 Thai tourists before it sank near Koh Man Wichai off the coast of Pattaya city. (Photo: Amporn Sangkaew)

Microsoft Thailand chief stresses need for massive training programme to equip everyone with AI skills

Thailand can strategically position itself to become an artificial intelligence hub in Asia, fuelled by investment in data centres, a commitment to green energy availability and accelerated training, says the managing director of Microsoft Thailand.

“Thailand is in a great position for investment in digital services,” Dhanawat Suthumpun said during a panel discussion at the Bangkok Post Economic Forum 2025 on Friday.

“AI offers an amazing opportunity, and I hope Thailand can unlock the challenges we face today and create a lot of opportunities.”

For example, AI can be used to provide real-time data on supply and demand, enabling the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) to offer “MOC GPT” as a platform where exporters can access services.

AI can also be used to empower and transform all sectors, provide inclusive education, offer co-coaching with teachers and address workforce gaps, he said.

Mr Dhanawat urged organisations to embrace AI at scale.

Thailand has strong potential to attract foreign investment thanks to its strategic geographical location, power availability and digital talent, he said.

Microsoft invested $80 billion globally in 2024, and is committed to spending $100 billion this year on AI, data centres and cloud infrastructure.

“This global investment includes data centres in Thailand through our partnerships,” said Mr Dhanawat.

In addition, Microsoft Thailand has invested several million dollars in programmes to train 1.6 million users.

He said Thailand should harness AI to shift its focus from a labour-intensive, volume-based model to a high-value, innovation-driven economy. This requires a massive national training programme and strong public-private investment partnerships, said Mr Dhanawat.

AI training at scale essential

With AI tools rapidly becoming more widely available to businesses, the competitive edge lies in a workforce’s ability to use them effectively, he said.

The immediate priority is a massive training programme to equip all Thais and companies with the necessary AI skills to generate business impact.

“Being a ‘second-fastest follower’ is a losing strategy in a modern, differentiated economy,” said Mr Dhanawat.

“Thailand must position itself at the forefront of innovation.”

He said a major obstacle to transformation, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), is financial constraints on investment in new technology.

While SMEs recognise AI’s benefits, many are focused on survival and lack the capital for digital transformation, said Mr Dhanawat.

The country needs a public-private partnership model similar to Singapore, where the government offers significant subsidies to SMEs for AI investment, he said.

Without co-investment or subsidies, SMEs risk being trapped — aware of the need to transform but unable to afford the initial investment, said Mr Dhanawat.