Philippines needs to develop pool of talents for data centers

MANILA, Philippines — The data center builder of Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. wants to harness local talent instead of bringing in foreign nationals to give the Philippines a fighting chance to compete in the sunrise industry.

ST Telemedia Global Data Centers (STT GDC) Philippines is in the process of harnessing computer talents to meet the surging demand for data center services in the country.

STT GDC Philippines president and CEO Carlo Malana said developing Filipino talents to serve data centers ensures that the Philippines can sustain its digital growth in the future.

Malana noted that the availability of talent and technology in the data center industry are difficult to secure. He said it is challenging to acquire people with international experience in working for tech giants such as Amazon, Google, and Meta.

STT GDC Philippines decided to collaborate with some of the leading universities in the country to develop local talent. In July, the company entered into a partnership with De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas and National University.

Under this, STT GDC Philippines provides internship opportunities to students to introduce them to the possibility of working in data centers.

Likewise, Malana said STT GDC Philippines is sourcing its employees from the current pool of computer, electrical and mechanical engineers in the country.

In the future, STT GDC Philippines expects to become one of the largest data center operators in the country, backed by ongoing efforts to put up new facilities and expand existing ones.

In May, the company started building what will become the biggest data center in the Philippines. The facility – which costs $1 billion – will operate with an initial capacity of 25 megawatts, but will be raised to as much as 124 MW down the line.

On top of this, STT GDC Philippines raised the capacity of its existing offices in Cavite, Makati City and Quezon City by a combined 5.2 MW. The company will continue to elevate capacity as the demand for data storage comes in.

STT GDC Philippines, a joint venture among Ayala Corp., Globe and STT GDC, was established with the goal of operating data centers where applications and information owned by tech giants are stored.

Consultancy giant Arizton Advisory and Intelligence forecasts that the data center industry in the Philippines will be valued at $288.3 billion by 2027.