Ayala unit, Flow to build data centers

AyalaLand Logistics Holdings Corp. (ALLHC) and Flow Digital Infrastructure, part of regional investment firm PAG, said they would start building new data center facilities across the country following a partnership agreement signed last May.

“ALLHC’s expansion in the data center space is in line with its long-term strategy to broaden its portfolio into complementary new economy segments,” the company said in a stock exchange filing.

“This partnership is the latest step in Flow’s ongoing Asia-Pacific expansion as a platform providing customized solutions to meet the region’s growing demand for digital infrastructure,” it added.

ALLHC said the first data center facility will have a total of 36 megawatts of capacity, which will be rolled out in phases.

The initial rollout of 6 MW will be completed and online by end of 2024, it added.

Data centers provide critical data storage and information technology services to businesses. They are also notoriously power-intensive facilities, with capacity and efficiency measured by megawatts instead of land area.

The largest of these are called hyperscale data centers, which offer sufficient capacity to serve the data requirements of global technology giants such as Google and Meta.

“The Philippines is at a tipping point to embrace the growth of the digital economy, where digital infrastructure plays a critical role as the foundation of the information and communications technology industry,” Amandine Wang, CEO of Flow, said in a statement. “We are very pleased to be partnered with ALLHC to deliver best-in-class solutions to meet the Philippines’ growing demand for high quality, carrier-neutral data center services,” she added.

ALLHC brings a “proven track record” in industrial real estate development while Flow contributes next-generation data center design, development and operational capabilities. FLOW was launched in 2021 by PAG, a Asia-Pacific focused investment firm managing $50 billion in assets.