In 2023, the public cloud services market in Asia-Pacific, excluding Japan and China, hit $41.5 billion, reflecting a 24.2% year-over-year increase, as reported by IDC. The surge in generative AI played a key role, driving up demand for AI platforms and data management tools.
Top cloud providers—Salesforce, SAP, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services (AWS)—captured 41.2% of the market. Despite rising competition, these giants managed to grow their share slightly. The Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) market saw a notable 46.5% growth, its highest in four years. On the other hand, growth in the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) sector slowed to 12.9%, down from 21.3% in 2022. Economic challenges prompted companies to focus on cost-efficiency, affecting IaaS investments.
Liew Siew Choon, Senior Research Manager at IDC Asia/Pacific, highlighted that cloud providers are aggressively launching generative AI solutions. “These innovations are driving the growth of PaaS and SaaS, though they’ve had limited impact on IaaS due to pricing and resource planning issues,” Choon explained.
As businesses increasingly turn to public cloud services, the demand for hybrid and sovereign cloud solutions is growing. This trend is particularly strong in regulated industries, where compliance with local regulations is crucial. To meet these needs, cloud providers are expanding their services and building new data centers across the region. These developments help address compliance and latency concerns while boosting overall market growth.
IDC forecasts that the public cloud market in the region will reach $50.8 billion in 2024, a 22.4% increase. Over the next five years, the market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.9%, potentially reaching $103 billion by 2028. PaaS is projected to outgrow IaaS by 2025, driven by businesses prioritizing AI-driven solutions.
