Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, said it was planning to build its first data center in the Philippines by the end of this year, further expanding its footprint in Asia.
The planned data center, which will be constructed in Manila, will enable local business across sectors to adopt cloud technologies more efficiently and better position themselves for emerging opportunities in the country, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Cloud computing has become central to the digitalization of businesses in the Philippines and around Asia. With our first data center in the country, we will be able to better support Philippine enterprises in adopting cloud technologies and preparing for a digital-first future,” said Leo Liu, general manager for Hong Kong, Macau, and Philippines, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence.
This is part of Alibaba Cloud’s Project AsiaForward, which has an initial funding of $1 billion and seeks to empower 100,000 developers and ensure the growth of 100,000 technology startups in Asia-Pacific over the next three years.
When asked for more information during a briefing on Tuesday, company representatives did not disclose how much of this fund would go to the Philippines.
“Alibaba Cloud’s upcoming data center launch underscores our commitment to equipping Philippine customers with secure, reliable and scalable cloud solutions. It is important for local enterprises to have access to reliable cloud architecture to efficiently meet the evolving needs of Filipino consumers,” said Allen Guo, country manager for the Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Philippines.
To adequately support Philippine businesses’ digitalization, both big and small enterprises, Alibaba Cloud said it had formed partnerships with more than 20 organizations across the retail, health care, FinTech, Information and Communications Technology. business process outsourcing, media and education sectors.
Last year, Alibaba Cloud announced the formation of the Philippines Ecosystem Alliance to fast-track the digitalization of local businesses and support the government’s Cloud First Policy. The company also aims to train 50,000 local IT professionals and help 5,000 businesses migrate online by 2023.
To encourage the adoption of cloud technologies among local enterprises, Alibaba Cloud said it had established a local team in the Philippines and trained them to address the specific needs of clients and deliver a personalized customer service experience. INQ