Thailand's PCB Industry Rapidly Expanding, Industry Focuses on Talent and Local Procurement
The 2026 Thailand PCB Industry Summit reported rapid growth in Thailand's PCB industry, driven by AI and supply chain restructuring. However, challenges such as talent shortages, infrastructure, and low local procurement rates have emerged, with calls for strengthened government policy support.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 17:21
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 17:31 (10 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 27, 2026 at 22:07 (4h 35m after Collected)
ASEAN Financial Special Report (Total 300 articles)
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nắm bắt New Southbound Policy, looking at the economic pulse of ASEAN. Central News Agency's "Southeast Asia Financial Information Specialized Website" selects daily financial headlines from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and other countries. Whether it's new government policies, industry trends, or investment opportunities, it allows you to grasp key information in real-time, gain insights into the market, and seize business opportunities.
(Central News Agency reporter Chiang Ming-an, Taipei, 27th) At a critical juncture of global supply chain restructuring and the full explosion of AI computing power demand, Thailand is becoming an important base for the next wave of high-end manufacturing in the electronic circuit industry. At the 2026 Thailand PCB Industry Summit, participating industry representatives focused on talent gaps and infrastructure such as stable electricity, and also found that currently 46% of operators have a local procurement ratio of less than 20%.
The Taiwan Printed Circuit Board Association (TPCA) and the Thailand Printed Circuit Board Association (THPCA) co-hosted the "2026 Thailand PCB Industry Summit" in Bangkok today. During the conference, the industry survey report "Opportunities for Thailand's PCB Industry Amidst the AI Wave and Geopolitical Intersections" was released. The summit focused on localized issues such as work permit applications, talent cultivation, infrastructure, and industrial policies, bringing together nearly 60 industry representatives from Taiwan, China, and Thailand for exchange.
According to the report data, the global PCB market continues to grow driven by AI infrastructure investment, with the market size expected to reach US$92.4 billion in 2025. Looking ahead to 2026, it is expected to further climb to US$113.7 billion, with an annual growth rate of 23.1%. The report points out that AI computing power demand is becoming the main driver of global PCB industry growth, accelerating high-end manufacturing and supply chain restructuring, bringing a new wave of growth opportunities for Thailand's industry and economy.
TPCA pointed out that from the development trajectory of Thailand's PCB industry, more than 60 PCB manufacturers have entered in recent years, and the local area is gradually moving towards a high-value manufacturing base, continuously undertaking application demands such as AI servers, high-end communications, and automotive electronics. Among them, automotive electronics applications account for 31%, ranking first in various application fields, indicating that Thailand's existing automotive industry cluster advantages continue to be exerted.
On the other hand, with over a hundred PCB industry chain investments gradually taking root in recent years, the rising demand for AI servers and communications is also promoting the development of Thailand's PCB product structure towards high-value direction, such as high-end multi-layer boards accounting for 47% and High-Density Interconnect (HDI) boards accounting for 23%.
The report points out that although Thailand's PCB industry is expanding rapidly, the overall ecosystem still needs to be improved. Currently, 46% of operators have a local procurement ratio of less than 20%, indicating that the integration of the local supply chain still needs to be strengthened.
In the industry-government dialogue session of the summit, participating industry representatives focused on four key issues. First, regarding mechanism optimization, it was suggested to extend the validity period of urgent work permits to 60-90 days and allow applications to be made in Taiwan before arriving in Thailand, to facilitate the smooth operation of key manufacturing processes. Secondly, regarding talent gaps, the government was called upon to support industry-academia cooperation specialized classes and internship systems, and to subsidize corporate training programs.
Third, in terms of infrastructure, with the increasing demand for high-end manufacturing, stable electricity, green energy, and water resource treatment capabilities are important foundations for ensuring stable operations. Finally, the industry proposed that under Thailand's semiconductor development policy direction, the sound development of the PCB industry chain must first be ensured. It called on the Thai government to include PCB in the national key development industries and strengthen policy support for the PCB industry to further enhance Thailand's competitiveness in the global AI supply chain.
The report further shows that the most significant gaps currently concentrate on local material supply, followed by operators and engineering technical personnel, as well as equipment parts logistics and maintenance services. The multiple challenges from materials, equipment to talent supply indicate that if Thailand's PCB industry is to support the next stage of development, it must simultaneously strengthen supply chain support and talent cultivation foundations. It is estimated that by 2030, the demand for related talent will further increase to 74,200 people. (Editor: Yang Lan-hsuan) 1150427
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Central News Agency
nắm bắt New Southbound Policy, looking at the economic pulse of ASEAN. Central News Agency's "Southeast Asia Financial Information Specialized Website" selects daily financial headlines from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and other countries. Whether it's new government policies, industry trends, or investment opportunities, it allows you to grasp key information in real-time, gain insights into the market, and seize business opportunities.
(Central News Agency reporter Chiang Ming-an, Taipei, 27th) At a critical juncture of global supply chain restructuring and the full explosion of AI computing power demand, Thailand is becoming an important base for the next wave of high-end manufacturing in the electronic circuit industry. At the 2026 Thailand PCB Industry Summit, participating industry representatives focused on talent gaps and infrastructure such as stable electricity, and also found that currently 46% of operators have a local procurement ratio of less than 20%.
The Taiwan Printed Circuit Board Association (TPCA) and the Thailand Printed Circuit Board Association (THPCA) co-hosted the "2026 Thailand PCB Industry Summit" in Bangkok today. During the conference, the industry survey report "Opportunities for Thailand's PCB Industry Amidst the AI Wave and Geopolitical Intersections" was released. The summit focused on localized issues such as work permit applications, talent cultivation, infrastructure, and industrial policies, bringing together nearly 60 industry representatives from Taiwan, China, and Thailand for exchange.
According to the report data, the global PCB market continues to grow driven by AI infrastructure investment, with the market size expected to reach US$92.4 billion in 2025. Looking ahead to 2026, it is expected to further climb to US$113.7 billion, with an annual growth rate of 23.1%. The report points out that AI computing power demand is becoming the main driver of global PCB industry growth, accelerating high-end manufacturing and supply chain restructuring, bringing a new wave of growth opportunities for Thailand's industry and economy.
TPCA pointed out that from the development trajectory of Thailand's PCB industry, more than 60 PCB manufacturers have entered in recent years, and the local area is gradually moving towards a high-value manufacturing base, continuously undertaking application demands such as AI servers, high-end communications, and automotive electronics. Among them, automotive electronics applications account for 31%, ranking first in various application fields, indicating that Thailand's existing automotive industry cluster advantages continue to be exerted.
On the other hand, with over a hundred PCB industry chain investments gradually taking root in recent years, the rising demand for AI servers and communications is also promoting the development of Thailand's PCB product structure towards high-value direction, such as high-end multi-layer boards accounting for 47% and High-Density Interconnect (HDI) boards accounting for 23%.
The report points out that although Thailand's PCB industry is expanding rapidly, the overall ecosystem still needs to be improved. Currently, 46% of operators have a local procurement ratio of less than 20%, indicating that the integration of the local supply chain still needs to be strengthened.
In the industry-government dialogue session of the summit, participating industry representatives focused on four key issues. First, regarding mechanism optimization, it was suggested to extend the validity period of urgent work permits to 60-90 days and allow applications to be made in Taiwan before arriving in Thailand, to facilitate the smooth operation of key manufacturing processes. Secondly, regarding talent gaps, the government was called upon to support industry-academia cooperation specialized classes and internship systems, and to subsidize corporate training programs.
Third, in terms of infrastructure, with the increasing demand for high-end manufacturing, stable electricity, green energy, and water resource treatment capabilities are important foundations for ensuring stable operations. Finally, the industry proposed that under Thailand's semiconductor development policy direction, the sound development of the PCB industry chain must first be ensured. It called on the Thai government to include PCB in the national key development industries and strengthen policy support for the PCB industry to further enhance Thailand's competitiveness in the global AI supply chain.
The report further shows that the most significant gaps currently concentrate on local material supply, followed by operators and engineering technical personnel, as well as equipment parts logistics and maintenance services. The multiple challenges from materials, equipment to talent supply indicate that if Thailand's PCB industry is to support the next stage of development, it must simultaneously strengthen supply chain support and talent cultivation foundations. It is estimated that by 2030, the demand for related talent will further increase to 74,200 people. (Editor: Yang Lan-hsuan) 1150427
Stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to grasp the latest news in real-time.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.