depa unveiled its 2025 operational plan at the 'depa Digital Intelligence' event under the concept 'Perform Better, Think Faster, and Live Better,' aiming to promote smart access and application of digital technology and innovation for all Thais to enhance their quality of life.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, the President/CEO of the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), announced the 2025 operational plan at the 'depa Digital Intelligence' event under the theme 'Perform Better, Think Faster, and Live Better,' held at depa's new headquarters on Soi Ladprao 10, Chatuchak District. The event was attended by executives, representatives from partner organizations, and media members.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuttapon revealed that in 2025, depa will continue to operate under the concept 'Perform Better, Think Faster, and Live Better,' which promotes smart access and application of digital technology and innovation for all Thai citizens to improve their quality of life. depa will focus on enhancing the country's digital workforce by continuing to promote essential 21st century digital skills, such as coding, to people of all ages. The aim is to build a digital workforce among students and recent graduates (within two years) from both IT and non-IT fields, preparing them for careers in digital technology by equipping them with the skills needed by industry employers. This will be aligned with international professional standards before integrating them into the system through public-private partnerships that promote new skills via financial aid and scholarships in digital technology and innovation education.
Additionally, depa will drive the development of the digital content industry, promoting the production of short films and silent films created with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Key projects like depa ESPORTS will continue to serve as mechanisms for developing Thailand's esports ecosystem. depa will also promote the application of digital technology and innovation, supporting Thai digital startups at all stages of growth and raising awareness about the Thailand Digital Catalog and dSURE marks. Other initiatives include encouraging businesses to adopt AI technology, formulating strategies to drive Thailand's AI economy, promoting blockchain and quantum computing technologies, and flagship projects like "One Tambon (Subdistrict), One Digital" (OTOD) in the areas of drone communities, smart living, and durians digital.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuttapon highlighted depa's achievements over the past eight years, stating that depa has promoted and supported more than 1,560 projects through 13 funds and schemes, with a total approved budget exceeding 1.93 billion baht. These efforts have generated an economic impact worth over 24.3 billion baht. depa has implemented a comprehensive digital economy promotion plan, focusing on enhancing the digital workforce, transforming the traditional economy into a digital one, creating new opportunities, ensuring equitable development, and improving digital infrastructure.
depa's approach to enhancing the digital workforce is divided into three phases. The long-term phase includes the Coding Thailand project, which has been running since 2017, along with various coding-related projects, including the latest "Coding for Better Life" initiative, which aims to build a foundation for Thailand's future. The medium-term phase focuses on providing support through scholarships for education in digital technology and innovation. In the short-term phase, the CONNEXION project aims to develop the capabilities of using digital content to boost E-Commerce sales for entrepreneurs through workshops on topics such as storytelling, live selling, opening stores on social commerce, and using data to analyze online sales channels via the eTailligence platform, among others.
The transformation from a traditional economy to a digital economy involves upgrading the formal sector to transform the informal sector. This includes the development of the software industry, support and promotion of digital startups, and transitioning from traditional hardware industries to embedded software hardware. The push for the digital content industry is also a key focus. Additionally, depa has created a Thailand Digital Catalog, which compiles products and services from Thai digital startups that meet the standard 'dSURE marks'. Currently, over 400 digital products and services are registered. To create new opportunities and ensure equal development, depa promotes access to digital technology and E-Commerce platforms for farmers, community enterprises, SMEs, and small businesses. Larger businesses can select appropriate digital technologies through the Thailand Digital Catalog, while cities can adopt technologies to enhance areas and improve the quality of life for their citizens.
last but not least, the development of infrastructure is being driven through the Thailand Digital Valley project, which serves as a hub for the design, development, analysis, testing, and experimentation of advanced digital technologies and innovations in Southeast Asia (ASEAN Digital Hub). The project's second building, the Digital Startup Knowledge Exchange Center, has recently opened and received a positive response, particularly with its CENTERPOINT, a 150-square-meter digital learning space located on the third floor. Other buildings, including the Digital Innovation Center, Digital Edutainment Complex, and Digital Go Global Center, are expected to be completed and fully operational by 2025.
"depa aims to enable all Thais to 'Perform Better, Think Faster, and Live Better' by promoting smart and effective use of digital technology and innovation to enhance the quality of life," said the director of depa.
depa is committed to working towards the future of Thais and developing Thailand's digital economy to a world-class level. According to our vision, 'We work smart every day to build a world-class digital economy and to help people perform better, think faster, and live better.' Interested parties can follow updates through all of depa's communication channels, including www.depa.or.th, LINE OA: depaThailand, and Facebook Page: depa Thailand.