MANILA, Philippines — The data center arm of the Ayala Group has invested up to $1.56 billion for the construction of new data hubs in Metro Manila and Cavite, banking on booming demand for digital infrastructure.
Ayala-backed ST Telemedia Global Data Centers (STT GDC) Philippines is on track to operate the 124-megawatt STT Fairview in Quezon City and the six-MW STT Cavite 2 later this year.
Asked about the investment, company president and CEO Carlo Malana estimated around “$11-12 million” per MW to develop a greenfield data center facility.
“Usually, you’ll find data center costs are done in dollars per MW… It can be a little bit less; it can be a little bit more, depending on how big it goes,” Malana told reporters yesterday.
STT Fairview, which is poised to become the country’s largest data center, consists of four phases, with the first phase expected to be launched in the second quarter.
Malana said STT GDC Philippines is set to start the design of the second phase by “the end of this year.”
And to further expand its capacity, the company is also constructing its second facility in its data center campus in Cavite. This expansion brings its total data centers to seven.
These data center investments are expected to bolster the digital economy of the Philippines, Malana said.
“Once seen as a service hub, it’s now transforming into a strategic node for digital infrastructure, data connectivity and tech innovation,” Malana said.
“This is where opportunity lives. This is where STT GDC Philippines builds the future – in a place full of promise,” he added.
STT GDC Philippines, a joint venture among Globe Telecom, Ayala Corp. (AC) and Singapore-based STT GDC, currently operates data centers across Metro Manila, Cavite and Davao, all powered by renewables.
Just last Wednesday, the data center builder signed a memorandum of agreement with AC and ACEN Corp. to jointly explore opportunities in the Philippine data center space.
“Through this partnership, ACEN will explore initiatives to deliver renewable energy solutions to the growing data center demand in the country,” ACEN said in a stock exchange filing yesterday.
