Southeast Asia poised to lead AI growth thanks to young workforce and strategic positioning

During the China-ASEAN Business Leaders Summit, speakers emphasized Southeast Asia’s demographic strength, with a population close to 700 million and an average age below 30, as a catalyst for AI development. They cited more than US$55 billion in committed AI infrastructure investment and a doubling of data-centre capacity in Johor. The panel described a five-layer AI ecosystem—energy, chips, infrastructure, models and applications—and said the region benefits from the ability to source technology from both the United States and China.

Companies are moving production to ASEAN under a China + 1 approach, seeking financing for chip purchases from firms like Nvidia and Broadcom. Leaders called for open data borders, talent attraction and regulatory support to sustain growth, noting opportunities in industrial AI, autonomous vehicles and localized AI applications.