Smart Business: Transforming Thai Business with Automation & Robotics

Transforming Thai Business into the Smart Business Era with Automation & Robotics

The "Transform Your Business into a Smart Business with Automation & Robotics" project is a collaboration between the Thai Chamber of Commerce, government agencies, and the Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneur Association of Thailand (AIEAT) to sustainably drive Thai industry toward the era of automation and Industry 4.0.

Thailand is advancing toward a fully digital economy. One of the key missions is to elevate the industrial sector so it can use automation technology and artificial intelligence to boost production efficiency. The "Transform Your Business into a Smart Business with Automation & Robotics" project was therefore established under the oversight of the Robotics and AI Subcommittee of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, with the clear goal of business matching between business operators and System Integrators (SI) that have technological expertise.

This project serves as a bridge connecting Thai business with global innovation, helping operators understand and access Automation, Robotics, and Digital Transformation technologies more easily, while receiving benefits from government agencies such as the BOI, the Revenue Department, and NSTDA, which support tax, investment, and factory-readiness assessment through the Thailand i4.0 Index.

The "Transform Your Business into a Smart Business with Automation & Robotics" project is not just a typical business-matching activity, but a "policy infrastructure" that helps propel Thailand into a technology-based economy.

Economic dimension: Converting factories into Smart Factories will help reduce costs, increase productivity, and expand opportunities to export high-technology products. Thailand will become a manufacturing base that increasingly attracts investors in automation and AI industries.

Social dimension: Developing the Thai workforce into a "Digital Workforce" will create new employment opportunities in AI engineering, data science, and automation systems, addressing the workforce transition in the digital era.

Innovation dimension: Connecting the public sector, the private sector, and AIEAT will create a sustainable Innovation Ecosystem, leading to the development of Thailand's own AI solutions in the future.

A clear example is SME businesses that previously had high labor costs and can now use robots and automated control systems designed by Thai SIs together with SA teams certified by AIEAT, enabling them to reduce time and costs by more than 30% within a single year, while also creating added value from data that can be further analyzed.

Overall, this project will be an important driving force for the "Thai digital economy" to grow on its own technological foundation, creating both economic stability and social sustainability under a Smart & Sustainable Industry development framework.

Benefits for Smart Business Project Participants

For the "Business Side"

1. Upgrade production processes — Enter automation, reduce costs, and increase efficiency and production quality.
2. Receive direct technical consultation from SIs — On-site analysis to design suitable solutions.
3. Tax benefits from the BOI and the Revenue Department — For example, up to 100% corporate income tax exemption for 3–5 years for enterprises investing in automation and digitalization.
4. Opportunities to expand markets and enhance corporate image — Demonstrating capability as a "Smart Factory" aligned with the Thailand Industry 4.0 policy.

For the "System Integrator (SI) Side"

1. Receive real project matching (Business Matching) — The opportunity to design systems in real factories nationwide.
2. Elevate professional standards and credibility — Especially for SIs with a System Analyst (SA) team certified by the Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneur Association of Thailand (AIEAT).
3. Build networks with national public and private agencies — Increasing opportunities to join policy-level projects and industrial development projects.
4. Receive marketing and PR support — Through the networks of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and AIEAT.

Government Support (BOI and the Revenue Department)

Board of Investment (BOI)

The BOI has a "Smart & Sustainable Industry" measure to elevate industries into the 4.0 era, granting benefits to enterprises that invest in automation and digital technology, such as:

• Corporate income tax (CIT) exemption for 3 years, covering 50–100% of the investment.
• Import duty exemption for machinery and automation equipment.
• For Thai SMEs, additional special privileges, such as:
  • CIT exemption for 5 years
  • 100% tax-exemption ceiling of the investment (from a maximum of 500,000 baht upward)

The BOI also uses the Thailand i4.0 Index as a supplementary criterion in project consideration.

Revenue Department

In cooperation with the BOI and the Chamber of Commerce, there are tax incentive measures for enterprises investing in automation and digital transformation, such as:

• Deductions for digital-technology investment expenses.
• Using SI services to develop and improve production processes can be claimed as a tax deduction.

The details of how to apply for these benefits will be explained during the "Revenue Department Measures" session at the seminar on 27 October 2025.

🔹 Industry 4.0: An Important Step Toward the Future of Business

Joining this project is the starting point of stepping into Industry 4.0, which integrates Automation, Robotics, AI, IoT, and Data Analytics into production processes to create Smart Factories that can continuously learn, analyze, and improve processes.

This project will help operators understand NSTDA's Thailand i4.0 Index, a criterion for assessing the readiness level of Thai industry, from the basic level up to the Smart Factory level, giving direction to technology investment and serving as immediate evidence for applying for BOI benefits.

In the long run, this industrial development will be key to elevating the Thai economy to compete at the regional level, and an important step for the country toward a "sustainable digital economy."

The Role of AIEAT in the Smart Business Project

The Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneur Association of Thailand (AIEAT) serves as the body that certifies the AI expertise of System Integrator companies under this project, particularly the System Analyst (SA) role, which links business needs and technology.

AIEAT requires that:

1. SI companies seeking SA certification must be official members of the association.
2. Companies must submit SA qualification information according to the template provided by the association, such as educational background, project experience, and technology competency certificates.

This certification will be a symbol of credibility and an important qualification for joining future projects related to the government and the AI industry.

Benefits for AIEAT Members

The Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneur Association of Thailand (AIEAT) is committed to supporting and propelling Thai AI entrepreneurs to grow sustainably. Association members will receive the following benefits:

1. Free! Publication of your product or service information through the association's media channels and Media Partners, worth more than 15,000 baht.
2. Member profiles displayed on the association's website and database to build awareness and credibility.
3. The right to receive advice and special channels for applying for AI innovation funding from government agencies.
4. Special discounts on joining the association's Meetup and seminar activities.
5. ISO 29110 certification at a special price of only 50,000 baht (from a market price of over 100,000 baht), to be used as a condition for applying for government support.
6. Opportunities to join national and international forums in which the association plays a role, in areas including AI Governance, Data Sovereignty, and AI Ecosystem.