PANGILINAN-LED PLDT Inc. said it’s moving closer to constructing its next and largest data center following the inauguration of its eleventh facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna on Wednesday.
“We do intend to expand our data center capability to as much as 500 megawatts (MW). We have now to be not less than equal to the capability of Malaysia… You have got our pledge to make the Philippines a knowledge center hub,” PLDT Chairman Ma-nuel V. Pangilinan said throughout the inauguration of the VITRO Sta. Rosa (VSR) data center on Wednesday.
VITRO Sta. Rosa is claimed to be the country’s largest data center campus, situated on a five-hectare lot in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The power has a capability of as much as 50 MW. In total, ePLDT’s VITRO data centers have an aggregate capaci-ty of nearly 100 MW.
VITRO, Inc., the information center arm of the PLDT group and a subsidiary of ePLDT Inc., now operates 11 data centers across the Philippines — including in Makati, Taguig, Pasig, Parañaque, Subic, Clark, Cebu, and Davao — with a combined capability of nearly 100 megawatts, supporting enterprise and hyperscale demand as the corporate eyes further expansion.
ePLDT President and Chief Executive Officer Victor S. Genuino said the corporate has finalized the location for its twelfth data center.
“Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) has quite a bit in General Trias, that’s 20 hectares. So, we could use not less than as much as 10 hectares of that [for our next data centers],” Mr. Pangilinan said.
The corporate’s next data center can be in-built General Trias, Cavite, and may have a capability of as much as 100 MW — double that of VITRO Sta. Rosa.
Construction is scheduled to start in 2026 and is anticipated to be accomplished by 2028, Mr. Genuino said, adding that the ability’s capability can be scaled up in phases, starting at 20 MW.
ePLDT’s VITRO Sta. Rosa is designed for energy efficiency and incorporates the most recent innovations in cooling and power redundancy. It also features high network reliability, with not less than three fiber routes from PLDT and other telecommunications providers.
PLDT’s Laguna data center is provided with NVIDIA-powered GPU servers, enabling it to support artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
“As AI adoption accelerates globally, VSR strengthens the Philippines’ bid to develop into a regional hub for digital innovation. It supports the country’s ambitions to draw global investment, foster local tech development, and drive economic growth,” PLDT said.
MPIC is one among the three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., alongside Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Helpful Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., holds a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
