GLOBAL DIGITAL infrastructure firm Equinix, Inc. said it’s able to expand the capability of its existing data centers within the Philippines to capture growing demand, noting that the country is strategically positioned to change into a knowledge center hub in Asia.
“What we’re doing at the present time is continually assessing. What I can say is immediately, we now have every capability to support our customers’ current expansion needs in our existing data centers,” Equinix Vice-President for Growth and Emerging Markets in Asia-Pacific Max Parry said in a briefing on Thursday.
Equinix launched its Philippine operations in 2025 with the opening of three data centers in Cavite and Makati. The facilities were acquired a yr earlier from Total Information Management Corp. (TIM), marking the corporate’s entry into the country’s fast-growing data infrastructure market.
The Philippines, Mr. Parry said, completes Equinix’s regional expansion following its operations in Malaysia and Indonesia, filling a missing piece in its Southeast Asia growth strategy.
Equinix’s facilities within the Philippines have about 35,000 square feet of colocation space, with a combined capability of 1,000 data cabinets.
“It’s a whole lot of optimism that we announced our investment into the Philippines last yr. I believe across Southeast Asia as a complete, the Philippines has a really strong and unique (role). We see the demand from global customers wanting to access the Philippine market,” he said.
Mr. Parry identified the various information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry as a catalyst for data center growth, alongside rising demand from the network, telecommunications, and banking sectors.
“The opposite thing which could be very notable around our business here within the Philippines is the range of banking and financial services customers that decision Equinix Philippines home. So, we now have loads for those banking customers,” he said.
Equinix’s data centers provide high-speed interconnection services, giving enterprises direct access to cloud platforms, artificial intelligence providers, and major network ecosystems through secure private links. Globally, the corporate operates greater than 260 data centers across 70 markets.
“I believe the Philippines could be very strategically placed to try this. It’s a strategic location between the economies of Asia and the US market. I believe that positions the Philippines well to occupy that data center hub position,” he said, adding that ongoing subsea connectivity projects within the Philippines would also drive growth.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) projects that the country’s data center capability could reach 1.5 gigawatts (GW) by 2028, up from nearly 200 megawatts (MW) at present.
To attain this goal, the Philippines must also capitalize on the expansion of its digital economy, which is anticipated to achieve $36 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2025, in keeping with a November report by Google, Temasek Holdings, and Bain & Company. The report projects the country’s overall digital economy could reach $70 billion to $140 billion in GMV by 2030, barely lower than last yr’s forecast of $80 billion to $150 billion.
“I believe you’ve got the local strength in industry to give you the chance to draw data center operators like us through the strength of the local market. Vibrant financial ecosystem, a lot of foreign direct investment coming into manufacturing, one among the world’s leading IT BPO sectors. And as I said, increasingly, international organizations are looking towards the digital growth within the Philippines and wanting to be an element of it,” Mr. Parry said. — Ashley Erika O. Jose