Philippines Targets 30x Datacenter Growth in New AI Masterplan
AI-generated image · US National Wire
The PAIIM policy calls for $34.4 billion in infrastructure to scale power capacity from 50MW to 1.5GW by 2033.
The Philippine government has unveiled the Philippines AI+ Infrastructure Masterplan (PAIIM), a policy aimed at transforming the nation into a regional AI hub. According to reporting from The Register, the plan seeks to expand the country's datacenter fleet from a current 50MW to 1.5GW by 2033, housing approximately 152,000 GPUs.
The PAIIM outlines a total investment requirement of $34.4 billion for connectivity, datacenters, and infrastructure. The Register reports that $18.2 billion is already covered by private investments and existing government programs. The government intends to mobilize the remaining funds through private sector participation and targeted public investment, specifically for hyperscale AI datacenter infrastructure. The plan assumes private enterprises will contribute $21 billion of the total spend.
Beyond hardware, the government aims to train over 1.3 million professionals in AI and create 500,000 AI-related jobs, including 175,000 positions dedicated to infrastructure projects. The PAIIM states that AI is not intended to replace the Philippine IT-BPM industry but will instead allow workers to move up the value chain by using AI for repetitive tasks while humans handle high-value, empathy-driven functions.
While government officials suggest the plan allows the Philippines to compete with Thailand and Singapore, The Register notes that nearby Malaysia's Johor datacenter province already has nearly 4GW of projects in place, with additional capacity in the pipeline.