PLDT Inc., the leading telco and only fully integrated ICT service provider in the country, has commenced construction of its 11th and largest hyperscale data center facility to expand its network of world-class data centers and position the Philippines as the next digital hub and destination in Asia Pacific.
At the official groundbreaking ceremony in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, the PLDT Group led by Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, and President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio were joined by Meralco President & CEO Atty. Ray Espinosa, DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, PEZA Director General Charito Plaza, Governor Ramil Hernandez and Sta. Rosa City Mayor Arlene Arcillas to officially start the construction of the mega facility, VITRO Sta. Rosa.
VITRO Sta.Rosa underscores the PLDT Group’s commitment to constantly invest and elevate the digital infrastructure readiness of the country through the sustained expansion of its international and domestic fiber capacities, 5G roll-outs, and world-class data center facilities with the goal of powering up the Hyperscale Industry of Philippines.
PLDT has been one of the early enablers of the Hyperscale industry, serving the unique requirements of these global tech companies through existing VITRO facilities. In 2021, PLDT has collaborated with key government agencies to lay down the groundwork and include hyperscalers as one of the new priority sectors of the Philippines, culminating with the official launch of the Hyperscale Industry under the ‘Make It Happen’ campaign of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) last September.
VITRO Sta. Rosa will rise as the country’s largest data center campus by far – a five-hectare PLDT property in the booming industrial city of Sta. Rosa. It is the first in a series of data center builds totaling to a power capacity of 100MW. The data center facility is designed to be energy efficient utilizing the latest innovations in cooling and power redundancy, Tier-3 certified and Tier-4 ready, and with the highest level of network diversity and resilience with at least three fiber routes from PLDT and augmented by routes from other carriers.
Additionally, VITRO Sta. Rosa will host the country’s richest internet ecosystem and premiere internet exchanges, making it the most ideal location for Availability Zones and Points-of-Presence of hyperscalers, as well as for critical systems of Enterprises.
“The PLDT Group is one with the nation in building a digitally advanced Philippines and making our country the next hyperscaler destination in Asia Pacific. With VITRO Sta. Rosa, we aim to set the benchmark in infrastructure resilience, operational excellence, global competitiveness and world-class sustainability,” shared Panlilio. “A facility of this caliber only ensures the best possible customer experience not only for our hyperscale clients, but also for the Filipino end-users consuming their services. We at PLDT Group are committed to providing world-class services to our global enterprise clients and enabling the digital transformation of the country and the Filipino people.”
To ensure hyperscalers maximum operational uptime, PLDT has partnered with Meralco to build a dedicated substation on-site that will directly supply the data center’s power requirements, ensuring higher levels of system reliability, and a more efficient delivery of electricity.
As a power-intensive facility, PLDT recognizes the environmental impact of operating a data center of this capacity and has therefore integrated sustainability into its design and operations. To ensure this is executed according to global standards, PLDT has partnered with RED Engineering a leading provider in green infrastructure design and engineering. PLDT and RED will co-develop the design of the facility based on global LEED standards and the PLDT Group’s UN Sustainable Development Goals.
With over 20 years of operational experience, the PLDT Group’s data center expertise and globally certified engineers through VITRO Data Center operations come next to none in the industry. Being the pioneer and market leader in the Philippine data center arena, VITRO has established strategic partnerships with global and local leaders in the data center build and power generation spaces to ensure the highest standards and robustness for its newest data center site.
VITRO Sta.Rosa affirms the PLDT Group’s vision of being a prime enabler of the country’s digital economy through world-class digital infrastructure and services that place the Philippines in the leading edge of the hyperscale Asia Pacific arena.
