Southeast Asia's Tech and Market Boom: AI, Data Centers, and Record-Setting Stocks

Southeast Asia is emerging as a global hotspot for innovation and investment, fueled by groundbreaking developments in AI, data infrastructure, and market performance. Nvidia and the Damac Group are spearheading the region’s tech revolution, with Nvidia establishing an AI R&D center in Vietnam and Damac investing US$3 billion to build data centers across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. These efforts aim to position Southeast Asia as a leader in AI-driven solutions, leveraging cutting-edge technologies like Nvidia’s Blackwell chips. Meanwhile, Singapore’s stock market is surging, nearing its three-year high, powered by a rally in banking shares and government-led market reforms. As tech and finance giants pour resources into the region, Southeast Asia is poised to become a hub of innovation and economic growth.

Nvidia Corp., led by CEO Jensen Huang, is turbocharging Vietnam’s AI landscape by establishing a research and development center and acquiring Vingroup JSC’s AI unit, VinBrain. This marks a significant step in Nvidia’s Southeast Asia strategy, with the initiative poised to bolster Vietnam’s AI infrastructure, cultivate local AI expertise, and support startups. The announcement, made during a Hanoi signing ceremony attended by Vietnamese leaders last Thursday, December 5, 2024, aligns with Vietnam’s vision of becoming a regional tech hub, targeting over US$100 billion in semiconductor industry revenue by 2050. Huang emphasized the transformative potential of processing Vietnam’s data domestically to fuel innovation. This move, part of Huang’s broader regional tour, underscores Southeast Asia’s growing allure for global tech investments amidst rising competition to lead in AI and data infrastructure.

The Damac Group of Companies, led by billionaire Hussain Sajwani, is making a US$3 billion leap into Southeast Asia’s AI and cloud service market by building data centers in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand through its Edgnex Data Centers unit. The first Thai facility, set to launch in March 2025 with Nvidia’s cutting-edge Blackwell chips, is part of a broader global expansion plan involving up to US$7 billion in investments. As Thailand vies to catch up with regional tech leaders like Malaysia and Singapore, the Damac Group is also collaborating with local firms like Siam AI to strengthen AI infrastructure and education. This ambitious push positions Southeast Asia as a key player in the global digital transformation, while challenges like a skilled labor shortage loom on the horizon.

Singapore’s stock market is on the brink of breaking its last high in 2021, driven by a robust rally in banking stocks that propelled the iShares MSCI Singapore ETF up 1.1% over the past week. Up 23% year-to-date, the iShares MSCI Singapore ETF is Southeast Asia’s best-performing country index ETF, bolstered by banks’ resilience in navigating narrowing interest margins while maintaining steady loan growth and dividend payouts. Analysts point to strong non-interest income from wealth management as a key growth driver. Optimism is further buoyed by government efforts to enhance stock market liquidity and reforms aimed at attracting private sector participation. With global easing trends on the horizon, analysts at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs predict continued prosperity for Singapore’s market in the years ahead.

From its inception on December 20, 2023, to November 29, 2024, the portfolio, which invests in the highest-quality and fastest-growing businesses in Southeast Asia at attractive prices, delivered a total return of 40.7%, outperforming all Southeast Asian country index funds.

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The best way to generate superior returns while protecting ourselves from economic and geopolitical uncertainty is to invest in high-quality, cash-generating businesses over the long term that deliver real value to the economies they serve. The International Investor helps investors make informed decisions by providing profitable and actionable investment intelligence. The International Investor manages a hedge fund for a select group of investors. The fund invests in the world’s highest-quality businesses with high and sustainable returns on capital at attractive prices and margins of safety relative to what they’re intrinsically worth. The fund maintains a focused portfolio, invests fundamentally and intelligently, and trades infrequently. The fund generates superior returns over time with minimum business risk, regardless of the global market environment. The International Investor manages the SeA (Southeast Asia) Focus Portfolio for a select group of investors and publishes its investment performance for the informational and educational benefit of investors and readers. The content is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to buy or sell securities nor investment advice. Forward-looking statements may be uncertain, and historical returns may not predict future performance. The International Investor is not a registered broker-dealer, investment adviser, or fiduciary.