Globe CEO Ernest Cu
MANILA -The Ayala Group is spending about $78 million to build a second data center in Cavite as it beef up its portfolio of facilities storing critical servers and enabling the flow of data in the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization.
On Monday, Ayala-led ST Telemedia Global Data Centers (STT GDC) Philippines held groundbreaking ceremony for STT Cavite 2.
The 6-megawatt (MW) data center is a two-story building with a gross floor area of over 4,500 square-meters.
The data hub is targeted to be opened by mid-2025. By that time, the Cavite portfolio will have about 11-MW capacity in total.
STT GDC Philippines president and CEO Carlo Malana said this digital infrastructure was capital-intensive, requiring them to earmark about $13 million per megawatt.
Starting its second major data center project this year is in line with the goal of STT GDC Philippines—a joint venture among Globe Telecom Inc., Ayala Corp. and Singapore-based STT GDC—to increase data center capacity to 150 MW in the coming years.
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“As the Philippines sets its sights on a digital future and rapidly expands its digital capabilities, this forward momentum makes the need for robust digital infrastructure and rich network connectivity even more critical,” Malana said.
Globe CEO Ernest Cu noted that AI is among the demand drivers for data centers in the country given the modern technology’s massive data storage requirement.
In May, the joint venture company held a groundbreaking ceremony for its 124-MW data center in Fairview, Quezon City. It will be spending about $1 billion to construct the facility sprawling over 83,000 square-meters of gross floor area across four buildings.
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Construction for the first phase of the project, comprising 28 MW, has started. It is set to go live by early 2025.
Last month, it also completed the construction of a 1.2-MW data hall in Makati.
“With the right critical infrastructure in place, businesses can thrive in the digital realm and citizens can reap the benefits of a digital society,” Malana said.
STT GDC Philippines currently operates five data centers with a total capacity of 22 MW.