BANGKOK— Regional energy giant B.Grimm Power has broken ground on its first data centre project in Thailand, in partnership with Digital Edge (Singapore) Holdings Pte Ltd. (“Digital Edge”), marking the group’s entry into the fast-growing digital infrastructure sector.
B.Grimm Power President, Dato’ Sri Dr Harald Link, said the move was a natural progression for the group, which has decades of experience in power generation, engineering, and infrastructure development across Asia.
“Data centres fit extremely well into B.Grimm because we know how to build. We have our own air conditioners, we have constructed many buildings in the past, and we have strong relationships with power utilities,” he told Chronivo after the groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday
He added that the partnership with Digital Edge would provide the operational expertise needed to make the joint venture successful.
Link noted that the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) worldwide was fuelling unprecedented demand for electricity and digital infrastructure.
“One AI query consumes around six times more electricity than a Google search. Multiply that by AI agents communicating with each other, and the demand skyrockets,” he said.
He pointed out that B.Grimm Power was already expanding its energy portfolio in Malaysia, having secured 618MW under LSS5+ through its JV as well advance stage of combined-cycle plant in Peninsular, while also eyeing new opportunities in Sabah.
On employment, Link said data centres may not directly create large-scale jobs but could spur the digital economy and attract skilled talent.
“This site will employ many workers. But whether data centres create huge employment depends on how much we digitise and produce engineers locally to work with us,” he explained.
Addressing sustainability concerns, Link stressed that B.Grimm is committed to renewable energy.
“We hope governments will open the grids for renewable energy. B.Grimm is already a leader in renewables. We operate wind farms in Korea, solar projects across Asia, and even hold a share in one of the most advanced wind turbine manufacturers in Germany,” he said.
He added that the company’s network is already 28 percent less polluting than the main grid, with plans to offer both “green” and “normal” grids to customers.
Link also expressed optimism about expanding the group’s presence in Malaysia, particularly in Sabah.
“Sabah is one of the most beautiful places in the world, with no earthquakes or major storms. We are certainly keen to explore opportunities there,” he said.
Founded in 1878 as a trading company in Bangkok, B.Grimm Power has since grown into one of Southeast Asia’s leading energy players. The data centre venture, Link said, underscores its philosophy of building partnerships.
“We don’t see competition, we see partnership. Everybody can work together to make life better. That’s what drives B.Grimm,” he said.
Meanwhile, Group President of Digital Edge, John Freeman, said Thailand was chosen after an extensive search for the right local partner.
Group President of Digital Edge, John Freeman, speaking to Chronivo during the official groundbreaking ceremony of their first joint data centre campus in Thailand – Foto Chronivo
“We had probably met close to 70 potential partners for Thailand. Once we linked up with Dr Harald Link and B.Grimm, we knew they were the right partner for us, and this is a project we wanted to pursue,” he told reporters during the press conference.
Freeman said Malaysia was also on the company’s radar, describing it as a market with “huge potential” despite regulatory and infrastructure challenges.
“It’s been a bit complicated in terms of trying to get the right permits, power allocation, and water allocation. It takes time and due diligence, but once you secure that, it’s going to be a very good market. We continue to be interested, and we have a number of projects we’re pursuing,” he said.
He revealed that Digital Edge already has a joint venture in Malaysia with two projects in the pipeline, though the company has currently focused on Johor due to its proximity to Singapore and customer demand.
When asked about Sabah as a possible location, Freeman said the company had not yet committed to the state.
Beyond Thailand and Malaysia, Freeman said Digital Edge was actively developing several large-scale projects across Asia. These include a 150MW data centre campus in Jakarta, a 60MW facility in South Korea, and the ongoing expansion of its 300MW campus in India, where a third 48MW building is under construction.
“Japan is also very important for us, and Thailand is going to be extremely important for our regional strategy,” he said.
On the impact of AI adoption, Freeman noted that both global and regional players are likely to anchor their AI infrastructure in Asia, which would further boost demand for data centres.
“You’ll see the global players come here with their machine learning setups. But from an inference standpoint, I think that’s where you start to see a local ecosystem developing in Thailand and across Asia,” he said.
