Computer servers in a data center.
getty
B.Grimm Power—controlled by Thai billionaire Harald Link—is partnering with Singapore’s Digital Edge to build a $1 billion data center in Thailand amid booming demand for AI-powered applications in the region.
The duo formed joint venture, Digital Edge B. Grimm, which will build data centers across Thailand, starting with a 96-megawatt (MW) data center in Chonburi province, around 100 km southeast of Bangkok, according to a statement released on Monday.
“Our collaboration with Digital Edge is a major milestone in our commitment to Thailand’s digital future,” Harald Link, group president of B.Grimm Power said in the statement. “By combining renewable energy with cutting-edge data center technology, we’re enabling the country’s transformation into a regional AI and cloud innovation hub.”
B. Grimm—one of Thailand’s biggest conglomerates with interests in energy, real estate, transportation and healthcare industries—will hold a 40% stake in the data center, which will support AI and cloud service providers across Southeast Asia.
“Thailand stands out as one of Asia’s most compelling digital growth markets,” John Freeman, CEO of Digital Edge said. “As demand for AI and machine learning continues to surge, our entry into Thailand comes at an ideal time to support the country’s digital transformation.”
Backed by New York-based private equity firm Stonepeak Partners, Digital Edge operates data centers across China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea, according to its website.
Thailand aims to make the country a regional data center hub and has approved three projects worth $2.7 billion in March, including a 300 MW facility by China’s Beijing Haoyang and a 35 MW facility being built by Thai billionaire Sarath Ratanavadi’s Gulf Energy, local mobile carrier Advanced Info Service and partner SingTel. Global tech giants such as ByteDance’s TikTok, Alphabet’s Google, and Microsoft have also been building new digital facilities in the country.
With a real-time net worth of $1.2 billion, Link is among the wealthiest in Thailand. B.Grimm, which was founded in 1878 as Siam Dispensary, was acquired by his grandfather in 1914. The company has been led by Link since 1987. He is now preparing his daughter, Caroline to take over.
