Srettha revealed on Thursday that he had shown Tesla executives around three industrial estates in the country.
“They are looking for 2,000 rai [320 hectares] of land,” the prime minister said.
He expressed confidence the electric vehicle manufacturer would invest not just in a Thai EV manufacturing plant but in the country’s entire EV supply chain, generating substantial employment.
Srettha held a meeting with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in September.
The prime minister said a major deal is also being pursued to attract Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to manufacture microchips in Thailand, utilising funds from the competitiveness enhancement fund.
A budget of 100 billion baht has been allocated to the fund to improve Thailand’s manufacturing competitiveness.
Srettha gave an overview of his three-month-old government’s progress in attracting investment during a speech titled “Future of the Thai Economy” delivered at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) on Thursday.
“We aim not for moderate earnings but to make Thailand a hub for new-age industries,” he said.
Part of that aim involves luring leading microchip manufacturers to invest in Thailand, starting with TSMC, the world’s largest chipmaker. Microchips form the heart and brain of new-age technology, with over 80% of global microchip production in Taiwan. However, strained relations with China are driving Taiwanese chip manufacturers to relocate production outside Taiwan.
