PLDT, through its ICT arm ePLDT, is building VITRO’s 11th data center (DC) in its five-hectare property in Sta. Rosa, Laguna to cater to the strong demand of hyperscalers expanding in the region,.
VITRO Sta. Rosa, the PLDT group's new, telco-neutral, hyperscaler facility, will have an additional 100 megawatts (MW) of capacity, PLDT announced Feb. 22, 2022.
"The demand for digital services just keeps on growing," noted PLDT and Smart Communications Inc. President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio.
'We have the ready facilities 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,” he pointed out.
Sta. Rosa is geographically ideal for the new data center, being 100 meters 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.
Furthermore, VITRO Sta. Rosa will be equipped with triple-route PLDT domestic fiber as well as telco fiber connectivity from other providers.
It will have the densest interconnectivity to PLDT Group’s own internet exchanges as well as other internet ecosystems in the country.
Overall, VITRO Sta. Rosa will also have the most ideal location for Availability Zones and Points-of-Presence of Hyperscalers, as well as for critical systems of Enterprises.
The hyperscaler facility is designed to be Tier-3 Certified and Tier-4 Ready, complete with an on-site Meralco power substation interconnected to several other substations to minimize the risk of power failure.
This will be the first of PLDT's series of hyperscaler data centers with a total power requirement of 100MW over the medium term.
Prior to VITRO Sta. Rosa, the PLDT Group has been serving the requirements of hyperscalers through existing VITRO facilities.
“Even before building this hyperscaler data center, we have been in discussions with a lot of these tech companies and we are talking to the major players,” according to Panlilio.
Designed based on LEED standards, VITRO Sta. Rosa will implement the global-class sustainability practices in design, supply, and building operations including rainwater collection, wastewater reuse, renewable energy use, and lowest realistic power usage effectiveness (PUE) for the Philippines.
“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,” he added.
“PLDT and ePLDT have longstanding relationships with global hyperscalers, so we understand their requirements," according to Jojo Gendrano, FVP and Head of Enterprise and International at PLDT and Smart.
"We have elevated the infrastructure design, operating practices, and business models in our existing data centers according to what they need," he stressed.
"VITRO Sta. Rosa’s design and operations will be very well-suited to hyperscaler standards,” Gendrano reiterated.
ePLDT, through its VITRO Data Centers, is a pioneer DC operator in the country, with over 20 years of experience in the field.
To date, it operates the widest data center network, with 10 facilities nationwide.