The Thai government has unveiled a new national roadmap to transform the country’s semiconductor (chip) industry into a regional hub. The plan calls for 2.5 trillion baht (about $79.5 billion) of investment over the next 25 years.
The roadmap was approved by the National Semiconductor Council on January 7. The program will be led by Deputy Prime Minister Eknithi Nitithanprapas.
The strategy sets out phased development targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050. The aim is to move the sector, which is currently limited to chip assembly and testing, towards higher value-added areas such as chip design and wafer fabrication.
The plan includes financial incentives, training 230,000 engineers, strengthening research and development centers, building specialized infrastructure and simplifying regulatory requirements.
Priority areas include power, sensors, photonics, analog and discrete chips for electric vehicles, artificial intelligence and medical technologies.
In the short term, Thailand plans to strengthen its assembly and design sectors. The long-term goal is to transition to wafer manufacturing and reduce dependence on foreign technologies.
