Bridge Data Centres, one of the biggest managed services providers in Malaysia, has started its expansion into Asia by acquiring an existing data center in Thailand, aiming to tap the strong economic growth in this part of the world.

Additionally, a few weeks ago, Google announced its plans to set up its first cloud region in Thailand to meet the growing demand for cloud services locally and globally.

According to an Arizona report, the Thailand data center market is estimated to be worth US$660 million in 2021 and to reach US$1.03 billion by 2027. It's not surprising considering the country currently has 32 colocation data centers, with most located in Bangkok.

Besides Google, new players like Telehouse and Chindata Group have entered the game. Tencent Cloud and Alibaba Cloud are also expanding their footprint in the country. The company Huawei has also invested approximately US$ 23 million to build an additional modular data center in Thailand.

According to Bridge Data Centres President Dz Shing Lim, the potential of Thailand is seen in its increasing adoption of cloud-based services. Moreover, the retail and wholesale colocation services in the Thai digital space are projected to grow.

"With this, Bridge Data Centres sees strong demand from hyperscale content providers and cloud operators, followed by leading e-commerce companies, public sector agencies, and the banking sector. Bridge Data Centres has been growing steadily in the Asia Pacific region. Thailand is one of the many South-east Asia markets we are entering, as we follow Hyperscale demand and favoring market conditions," commented Lim.

Thai companies will also benefit from the move, as Bridge Data Centres offers flexible data center options. As a leading player in the region, the data center company is also owned and managed by a company that places a strong focus on customer service, availability, and sustainability.

Data centers in Thailand will also boost Thailand's digital economy as 5G networks become available, especially when a higher demand for high-speed networking infrastructure is present. In addition, smart city efforts by government agencies may also increase the use of software-defined networking.

Bridge Data Centres' data center BKK01 spans 6,500 square meters and operates at 450 kilowatts at present. However, when fully outfitted, it will have the capacity to house an additional 5 megawatts of IT equipment. This development, and others, ensure that Bridge Data Centres' global standing in the IT world is secure, with two data centers currently operating in Malaysia—MY01 and MY02—and two others currently being constructed—MY03 and MY06—that are expected to come online by the end of 2022.