Bangkok: The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DE) has announced an upgrade to Thailand's national cloud system, marking a significant step in advancing the country's digital government initiative. This development is part of a broader strategy to establish a comprehensive digital infrastructure that integrates environmental considerations, efficient resource use, and partnerships aligned with Thailand's long-term objectives.
According to Thai News Agency, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, in collaboration with the National Digital Economy and Society Commission (BDE) and National Telecommunications Public Company Limited (NT), recently organized the GOV Cloud 2026: Digital Infrastructure for the Government of the Future seminar. This event underscored the potential of cloud technology in facilitating the transformation of Thailand's government into a digital entity. Mr. Chaiyanok Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, led the seminar's opening ceremony.
Mr. Chaiyanok highlighted the expanding use of IT under the Government Data Cloud Center (GDCC) project, which reflects the increasing awareness among government agencies of the cloud's role in developing digital government. Currently, the GDCC cloud supports over 4,000 key government systems across various sectors, including agriculture, public health, education, and research. This growth signifies a full transition to digital government infrastructure, with projected budget savings of at least 30% by 2027, equating to over 2,134 million baht.
The Minister further emphasized the next challenge for GDCC, which involves fully utilizing cloud capabilities and promoting data connectivity and sharing. The Ministry's focus on a National Cloud approach aims to optimize government digital budget spending through centralized procurement, establishing a unified framework to support digital government implementation and align with the government's digital economy strategy.
The GDCC central cloud ecosystem is being expanded into a large-scale, flexible, and efficient government cloud platform. This includes IaaS services to accommodate growing government data and a robust GPU infrastructure for big data processing. Additionally, PaaS and SaaS services provide diverse software options, enabling the government to adopt technology easily and develop citizen-centric services and innovative solutions tailored to specific needs.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society views the GDCC central cloud as a foundational element to support the government and promote the digital economy aggressively. The collaboration with partners aims to build a digital infrastructure that considers environmental factors and meets Thailand's long-term needs.
Mr. Wethang Puangsap, Secretary-General of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission, stressed the significance of the National Cloud approach in integrating digital infrastructure. The GDCC cloud system incorporates internationally standardized cybersecurity measures to protect government data, ensuring compliance with legal practices such as the Personal Data Protection Act and upcoming cybersecurity standards.
The GOV Cloud 2026 event also recognized outstanding agency performance in developing digital services on the GDCC cloud. Eighteen projects were selected, with eleven recognized for electronic document management systems. These awards promote the use of integrated cloud solutions to enhance government services, showcasing successful applications of GDCC services and serving as models for other agencies to leverage cloud technology for national benefit.