Today, building infrastructure means building a cloud. Microsoft said, after pledging to invest $1 billion to build cloud and AI infrastructure in Thailand over the next three years, that this is the latest in a series of investments by Microsoft in the Kingdom.

Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith made the announcement after meeting with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at Government House in Bangkok. Smith called the investment the centerpiece of Microsoft’s Advancing National Growth, Prosperity and Global Competitiveness with AI initiative.

“Microsoft is proud to support Thailand’s vision for secure cloud and AI, combining trusted infrastructure, secure platforms and skills so AI adoption translates into real competitiveness and job creation,” Smith said.

“As cloud and AI become central to economic growth and national competitiveness, countries need both access to world-class technology and the know-how to put it to work,” he added.

Thailand has had great success in recent years in attracting investment from the world’s largest tech companies to build data centers, cloud infrastructure and AI systems. The Thai government has been offering generous incentives for investors in digital industries and advanced technologies as part of its strategy to take the Thai economy to a higher level.

Smith said that Microsoft’s investment has three priorities for Thailand: “Technology, to build world-class infrastructure that every Thai organization can access and rely on; Trust, to establish a secure, sovereign and inclusive digital foundation for the country; and Talent, to ensure the skills needed to thrive in an AI-powered world reach every Thai worker, educator and changemaker,” he said.

The investment in talent is particularly important for Thailand, as it needs a larger portion of its labor force to have more advanced tech skills for the Kingdom to achieve its goals.

Smith said Microsoft had already helped over two million people in the country acquire AI skills over the past two years. Now, it will work with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor to equip high school students with the training needed to succeed in higher-tech and AI fields.

“AI is a powerful force for inclusive growth, and Thailand has a remarkable opportunity to extend its impact to everyone,” said Dhanawat Suthumpun, Managing Director, Microsoft Thailand and Emerging Markets.