Thailand’s Microsoft Build AI Day

Thongchan Thananate
3 min readMay 1, 2024
  • This year, Thailand had the honor of hosting Microsoft Build AI Day, featuring a live keynote by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, where he delved into current AI solutions.
  • Here’s a quick rundown of the keynote’s highlights, as if we already had insider knowledge:
  1. Entering the AI Era: Satya highlighted the shift towards what’s known as the AI Era, stressing the importance of training larger and smarter models to drive economic growth, boost GDP, and enhance productivity.

2. Introducing the Microsoft Cloud: Satya introduced the Microsoft Cloud, explaining how it spans from the Infrastructure layer to the Application layer, enabling AI Transformation to support businesses by enhancing employee experiences, engaging customers, and fostering innovation.

3. Key Focus Areas of AI Transformation:

  • Boosting productivity,
  • Crafting AI Solutions with Microsoft Azure,
  • Ensuring AI Safeguard for security.

4. Productivity Enhancement with AI: Satya discussed Copilot, a tool designed to boost creativity, streamline repetitive tasks, and aid in important work, like catching up on meetings. He highlighted the growing number of Thai developers on GitHub, now exceeding 900,000, and showcased Copilot’s capabilities in understanding Thai within the GitHub Workspace.

5. Creating AI Solutions with Microsoft Azure: Satya introduced the Copilot Stack for integrating Copilot with Microsoft Azure and announced the establishment of a Datacenter in Thailand, leveraging AI Infrastructure using H100 v5-series with GPT-J 6B. He also mentioned Microsoft’s diverse Foundation Models and the new small Phi-3 model.

6. Launch of the AI Odyssey Project: Satya unveiled the AI Odyssey project, aimed at democratizing access to AI skills, with the goal of making them accessible to the entire ASEAN population by 2025.

7. Emphasizing AI Safeguard: Satya reiterated the importance of AI Safeguard, ensuring security across various operations and products.

In essence, Satya’s keynote in Thailand not only announced the upcoming Datacenter launch but also explored how AI can amplify productivity. Don’t miss out on trying Copilot, especially the GitHub Copilot Workspace!

The point is what impact for Thailand’s overall.

Satya Nadella’s keynote is poised to bring several positive changes to Thailand’s economy:

1. Advancement of the Digital Economy: The commitment to constructing new cloud and AI infrastructure in Thailand marks a significant stride towards fortifying the country’s digital economy.

2. Establishment of Data Centers: The revelation of a forthcoming data center aligns perfectly with Thailand’s ambition to emerge as a digital economy hub, promising increased availability of cloud services and heightened investment prospects.

3. Boost in AI Skilling: Microsoft’s ambitious plan to train 2.5 million individuals in Southeast Asia in AI by 2025, with a special emphasis on over 100,000 people in Thailand, is expected to expand the local talent pool and ignite innovation.

4. Contribution to Economic Growth: The introduction of AI infrastructure and skilling programs is forecasted to fuel Thailand’s GDP growth. Studies indicate that AI could inject nearly $1 trillion into Southeast Asia’s GDP by 2030, with Thailand potentially claiming $117 billion of this total.

5. Creation of Job Opportunities: The initiatives toward digital transformation are anticipated to generate high-value employment opportunities, empowering Thai citizens and positioning the nation as a frontrunner in digital innovation and sustainability.

6. Enhanced Cybersecurity Measures: Collaborative efforts with national agencies to bolster cybersecurity are likely to enhance the overall business landscape and foster trust in digital transactions.

7. Support for the Developer Community: The burgeoning developer community and the backing they receive are poised to spur the emergence of more startups and technological breakthroughs originating from Thailand.

These endeavors are primed to catalyze fresh growth and impact across both public and private sectors in Thailand, nurturing a future that is not only technologically advanced but also inclusive and sustainable.

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Thongchan Thananate

People might laugh at it or call it foolish logic, but that’s enough for me. That’s what romanticism is about!