STT GDC explores more PHL sites for expansion

ST TELEMEDIA Global Data Centres (STT GDC) Philippines said it is exploring potential sites for data center expansion as it sees growing demand, including from artificial intelligence (AI)-related workloads.

“We’re always looking. So, we have one in Davao, we already have a site in Mindanao. And again, as we start seeing expansion and with AI we are continuing to explore where else would the demand look like and where would they want to be located,” STT GDC Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Carlomagno E. Malana told reporters on the sidelines of a briefing last week.

He said the company is weighing possible locations for expansion in the Visayas as it maps out its next phase of growth, adding that it is assessing developments particularly in metropolitan areas.

STT GDC Philippines is a joint venture among Globe Telecom, Inc., Ayala Corp. and ST Telemedia Global Data Centres. It operates seven data centers in the Philippines with a combined information technology load of nearly 150 megawatts (MW).

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said the country’s data center capacity could reach about 1.5 gigawatts by 2028 as new capacity comes online from existing and new operators. At present, the capacity is below 200 MW.

Mr. Malana said demand for data centers is increasingly driven by global and regional requirements for power and data storage, as well as AI-related workloads as more companies adopt AI.

Last week, STT GDC said it plans to expand the capacity of its Fairview data center by about 4 MW by yearend, bringing total capacity at the facility to 32 MW from the current 28 MW.

The Fairview data center is designed to scale up to 124 MW, with development to be carried out in phases to align with customer demand, Mr. Malana said. — Ashley Erika O. Jose