Comin Asia & Nokia: Scaling AI Facilities in Southeast Asia

Where will Southeast Asia's next generation of AI facilities actually be built?

A new partnership between Comin Asia and Nokia aims to deploy AI-ready infrastructure across the region.

But instead of building in the established data centre hubs in Southeast Asia, the companies are specifically focusing on markets that traditionally attract less attention.

Comin Asia and Nokia are looking to Cambodia as an early-stage market suited to localised infrastructure deployment.

The country of Laos also offers surplus power capacity alongside growing cross-border network connectivity that could support future regional AI workloads.

The companies are targeting modular, in-building and edge-ready facilities designed to support enterprise and government AI workloads closer to where data is generated.

Looking beyond established markets

While countries with mature digital infrastructure attract significant investment, like FLAP-D markets for example, emerging markets like Cambodia and Laos are presenting different advantages. 

Thailand, however, is facing increased grid pressure and regulatory complexity influencing how its future data centre projects are delivered.

"This partnership is about building that infrastructure in the markets where it is most viable, not just most visible," said Ivan Keogh, CEO, Comin Asia.

Combining regional delivery with networking expertise

Under the agreement, Comin Asia will serve as the regional systems integrator and delivery partner, drawing on its experience delivering mechanical and electrical engineering, procurement and construction projects throughout Southeast Asia.

Nokia will provide the networking technologies underpinning the deployments, including high-performance data centre networking, automation platforms and secure connectivity designed to support AI workloads at scale.

"By combining Nokia's validated Data Centre Network Solutions with Comin Asia's regional execution capabilities, we are enabling a new class of AI infrastructure that is distributed, secure and aligned with real-world deployment conditions," says Ajay Sharma, Country Manager of Nokia Thailand and Cambodia.

Together, Comin Asia and Nokia will deliver the networking and automation technologies needed to support AI workloads while improving energy efficiency.

Supporting sovereign AI deployments

The partnership reflects growing demand from governments and enterprises to retain greater control over where AI applications operate and where data is stored.

Many organisations across Southeast Asia are prioritising infrastructure that supports data sovereignty, privacy and regulatory compliance while reducing reliance on global hyperscale ecosystems.

Comin Asia and Nokia say their deployment model is designed to support these requirements by enabling AI infrastructure that can operate within national or regional boundaries.

The focus on modular deployments also allows facilities to be scaled according to local demand.

Building around power and policy

A key theme underpinning the partnership is the belief that future AI infrastructure will be determined by practical deployment conditions.

Comin Asia and Nokia are focusing on locations where power availability, policy frameworks and infrastructure requirements already align.

The companies also emphasise execution over land banking, positioning the partnership around delivering operational systems instead of announcing future capacity.

Initial feasibility assessments and deployments are already underway in Cambodia and Laos, with further expansion planned across Southeast Asia as infrastructure availability and regulatory conditions permit.

The partnership will also support enterprise AI deployments, government digital infrastructure initiatives and applications across the energy, telco, finance and public sectors.