Global Market Projected to Hit $1.8 Trillion USD by 2030

At SUSTAINABILITY EXPO (SX2025), ASEAN's largest sustainability exposition, FPT Corporation, a leading Southeast Asian IT company, took the stage to outline the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a crucial mechanism for driving both business efficiency and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) initiatives.

MR. LEVI NGUYEB, Chief Executive Officer of FPT Corporation Thailand, revealed that the Asia Pacific (APAC) region is currently the primary and largest segment for global AI application, and is expanding rapidly with an approximate annual growth rate of 33%.

The global AI market is currently valued at approximately $0.4 trillion USD but is forecast to surge dramatically to $1.8 trillion USD by 2030. This growth reflects how AI has become a critical augmentation across multiple business dimensions.

AI Transforming Operations: From Call Centers to Smart Factories

FPT emphasized that AI is being applied to reduce complexity and enhance operational intelligence in the following ways:

• Customer and Field Service: AI is augmenting and replacing customer service centers. Generative AI is utilized in the form of Virtual Agents to better understand customers. This includes assisting furniture manufacturers with color matching, enabling salespeople to identify customer needs and check inventory instantly via mobile devices or laptops.

• Risk Management and IT: AI plays a significant role in Fraud Detection, particularly in the financial sector and within the Asian region. In IT, Generative AI helps generate code and significantly reduces human effort in programming. FPT also uses AI to address issues with legacy Mainframe systems using Cobol by translating Cobol into Java or other programming languages.

• Logistics and Manufacturing: AI is applied for Preventive and Predictive Maintenance, Forecasting demand, and optimizing the supply chain.

Case Studies in Thailand and the Region: Reforming Insurance Towards Flexible Decision-Making

FPT presented real-world applications that are driving transformation in the region, particularly with a major insurance business in Thailand.

1. Reforming the Insurance Industry with AIA: FPT has supported AIA (an insurance company in Hong Kong) for over 7 years, addressing challenges of manual workloads and protracted processes.

• Super App and Recruitment: FPT built a unified platform (Super App, e.g., AIA Plus) that uses AI to screen suitable agent applicants and determine appropriate training courses for each agent group based on historical data and potential (Testing and Learning).

• Intelligent Underwriting: AI is used to replace traditional, inflexible Rule Engine systems. AI analyzes a multitude of factors, including demographics, insurance purchase history, health history, family history, lifestyle, and financial status, making underwriting decisions smarter and more flexible.

• Automated Claims Management: An automated claims system using AI analyzes customer history, reducing the claims approval process from as long as two weeks to mere minutes.

2. Upgrading a Large-Scale Factory in Thailand: FPT partnered with a major Thai corporation to provide end-to-end AI blueprint consulting.

• Factory Optimization: AI is used to improve production and processes in upstream and downstream operations, including the use of AI with IoT technology for preventive maintenance.

• Financial Automation: AI is utilized to manage financial tasks within the large-scale factory, resulting in only 2 employees remaining to oversee financial operations (which were previously manual).

• Knowledge Transfer: An AI Lab and Innovation Hub were established to transfer AI knowledge and capabilities to internal personnel, helping the company identify beneficial Use Cases and enhance operational efficiency.

AI and Sustainability: Meeting ESG Demands in the Region with the Highest Greenhouse Gas Emissions

MR. LEVI NGUYEB emphasized that AI is critically important for ESG, as the Asia Pacific region generates approximately 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions. He noted that while new AI data centers increase emissions, the intelligent application of AI can help mitigate this problem:

• Reducing Carbon Emissions and Waste: AI is used to optimize operations, reduce waste, and minimize energy consumption in factories and logistics. FPT itself has built facilities utilizing the latest NVIDIA GPU technology to boost efficiency and decrease operational waste.

• Compliance: AI assists in preparing ESG reports and in Predictive Risk Management, such as forecasting climatic events or supply chain disruptions.

FPT remains committed to sustainable growth. Last year, the company spent $66 million USD on CSI (Corporate Social Investment) activities and received the Ecovadis Platinum award, reinforcing its mission to drive efficiency while simultaneously creating a positive impact on the environment and society.