Bangkok: The Board of Investment (BOI) of Thailand, in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), is proactively promoting the “Made-in-Thailand Chip” initiative in the United States. The effort aims to position Thailand as a significant manufacturing hub for semiconductors in Southeast Asia. This initiative is part of a strategic visit to the US to engage with key players in the semiconductor industry and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Arizona State University (ASU) to strengthen workforce development.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Narit Therdsteerasak, Secretary-General of the BOI, outlined the objectives of the visit, which include discussions with leading semiconductor firms in Arizona and California from September 8-12, 2025. The partnership with ASU aims to develop over 80,000 skilled workers in Thailand within five years, supporting Thailand’s ambition to become a fully integrated chip manufacturing hub.
The recent roadshow builds on previous engagements, including meetings with the Semiconductor Industry Association and other leading entities in April 2025. The overarching goals are to attract investments worth at least 500 billion baht in upstream semiconductor industries over five years and to bolster the country’s workforce to support advanced technology sectors.
During the visit, BOI representatives and the Thailand team engaged with over ten prominent semiconductor companies. This included firms with existing operations in Thailand, such as Microchip, Analog Devices, Lumentum, and NXP Semiconductors, encouraging them to expand their investments in cutting-edge technologies. Firms like Intel, Qorvo, and Synopsys, which have yet to invest in Thailand, were also approached to explore investment opportunities.
Bechtel, a global engineering and construction company, expressed interest in collaborating with Thailand to expand research and development operations and establish a chip design center. The discussions highlighted the critical need for a skilled workforce as a determining factor for future investments.
The semiconductor industry is a pivotal global market, valued at over US$600 billion and projected to exceed US$1 trillion by 2030. The US remains a leader in this sector, particularly in processor and AI chips. To address workforce requirements, the MOU with ASU includes initiatives like curriculum development, joint research, and faculty-student exchanges to upskill Thai engineers and establish a semiconductor center of excellence in Thailand.
Thailand’s electronics manufacturing sector, with more than 50 years of experience, is poised to expand into higher-value areas such as chip design, wafer manufacturing, and advanced chip assembly. This expansion necessitates strategic partnerships and ecosystem development to achieve a self-sustaining domestic semiconductor industry.
In the past three years, Thailand has seen 406 investment promotion applications in the semiconductor sector, amounting to over 600 billion baht, with significant contributions from the US, Japan, Europe, China, and Taiwan.