PLDT, through its industry-leading ICT arm ePLDT, is set to build an additional 100MW of data center (DC) capacity beginning with a new hyperscale, telco-neutral, and purpose-built facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

This new build underscores the Group’s commitment to accelerating the country’s competitive standing as the ideal digital hub in Asia Pacific for global hyperscalers expanding in the region.

ePLDT VITRO’s 11th data center – VITRO Sta. Rosa – will rise in the country’s largest data center campus by far – a five-hectare PLDT property in the booming industrial city of Sta. Rosa.

The city is geographically ideal, at 100m above sea level and far from liquefaction, earthquake, and other natural disaster risks. Sta. Rosa is also a highly developed industrial area accessible through three major highways.

VITRO Sta. Rosa will be constructed with the highest level of diversity and reliability, equipped with triple-route PLDT domestic fiber as well as telco fiber connectivity from other providers, serving as the ideal location for hyperscale availability zones and Points-of-Presence, as well as serving the critical systems of enterprises.

The facility will have the densest interconnectivity to PLDT Group’s own Internet exchanges as well as to other rich internet ecosystems within the country, enabling content providers and cloud customers alike, to provide the best experience for their end-users.

Tier III certified and Tier IV ready, the facility also includes the construction of an on-site Meralco power substation, assuring clients of highly reliable uptime, with interconnection to several other substations further minimizing the risk of power failure. This will be the first of a series of hyperscale data centers totaling a power requirement of 100MW over the medium term.

President and CEO of PLDT and Smart, Alfredo S. Panlilio noted the strong global market demand for data center services, “The demand for digital just keeps on growing. We have the facilities ready, and we continue to expand our data centers to accommodate that demand to ensure that we are able to keep up and deliver future requirements.”

Prior to VITRO Sta. Rosa, the Group has been serving the unique requirements of hyperscalers through existing VITRO facilities. “Even before building this hyperscale data center, we have been in discussions with a lot of these tech companies and we are talking to the major players,” he added.

Designed based on LEED standards, VITRO Sta. Rosa will implement global-class sustainability practices in design, supply, and building operations, including rainwater collection, wastewater reuse, renewable energy use, and the lowest realistic power usage effectiveness (PUE) for the Philippines, among others.

“As the country’s largest integrated telecommunications company, with energy as a necessary resource for us to deliver our services, we are actively pursuing innovations that reduce our carbon emissions,” Panlilio added.

“PLDT and ePLDT have longstanding relationships with global hyperscalers, so we deeply understand their requirements,” Panlilio concludes.

“We have elevated our infrastructure design, our operating practices, and business models in our existing data centers according to what they need, and VITRO Sta. Rosa’s design and operations will be very well-suited to hyperscale standards,” said Jojo Gendrano, FVP and head of Enterprise and International at PLDT and Smart.

With over 20 years’ experience and industry-recognized certifications, ePLDT, via its VITRO facilities, is a pioneering data center operator in the country, currently operating the widest data center network with 10 facilities nationwide.

This latest data center expansion affirms PLDT Group’s vision of delivering world-class services to more Filipinos through technology. It also complements the Group’s investments in other digital infrastructure such as its largest fiber optic network across the country now at 743,700 kilometers, and sustained investments in 5G, IoT and other major international subsea cables catering to global data traffic and linking the country to the rest of the world.