Data Center Operators Unite, Strengthening the Philippines’ Bid as Next Digital Hub of Southeast Asia

The country’s leading data center operators have officially joined forces to form the Data Center Operators of the Philippines (DCPH), a unified alliance that aims to strengthen the country’s position as the next digital hub of Southeast Asia. This landmark partnership was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing attended by representatives from VITRO Inc., ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (Philippines), YCO Cloud, Digital Edge Philippines, Digital Halo, and A-FLOW.

Together, these companies share a common vision—to strengthen the Philippines’ regional competitiveness in the global digital economy through robust data center infrastructure development and industry collaboration.

The DCPH members represent a combined 473MW of IT power capacity and will serve as a unified voice for the Philippine data center industry, driving stronger collaboration across stakeholders and allied sectors. Its key goals include advancing infrastructure and innovation; working with the power sector to ensure competitive rates and renewable energy access; with telcos to enhance connectivity; and with government agencies such as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to champion supportive policies, including data localization. The group also seeks to develop local talent and sustain industry growth amid rising demand for hyperscale, AI, and other next-generation technologies.

Championing Data Localization for the Public Sector

The alliance underscored that data localization is crucial for data processed and stored by the public sector. Keeping government data within the country safeguards national security and protects citizen data. Neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia have already implemented strong data localization policies, recognizing citizen data as a strategic national asset that underpins data sovereignty and economic growth. By adopting similar measures, the Philippines can enhance its infrastructure resilience, attract greater cloud and AI investments, and establish itself as a leading digital hub in the region, enabling the free and seamless flow of data across borders to support the digital economy.

As digital transformation and AI adoption accelerate worldwide, this alliance marks a pivotal step toward building a future-ready and globally competitive digital economy for the Philippines—one powered by data centers, the backbone of digitalization.