ePLDT, the ICT subsidiary of PLDT Inc., and its data center arm, VITRO Inc., are poised to drive enterprise growth by supporting the anticipated surge in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and high-density workloads in the coming years.
"It is our aspiration to be the first end-to-end AI services provider in the country," said Victor S. Genuino, President and CEO of ePLDT and VITRO Inc., during a media roundtable discussion.
He emphasized, "AI-readiness is our key priority in 2025 as we provide both our public and private sector customers access to High-Performance Computing (HPC) using our AI-ready data center infrastructure where we will also host our soon-to-launch Graphics Processing Unit-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) offerings."
VITRO Sta. Rosa (VSR) is designed to be AI-ready from day one, capable of handling up to 50 kW per rack to accommodate NVIDIA's latest GPU chips, such as the H100 and H200.
"As we continue to innovate at VSR to accommodate the growth of AI, we have outlined a roadmap for GPU stacks capable of supporting up to 50 kW now and 100 KW in the future, ensuring we meet the demands of high-density AI workloads," Genuino added.
This milestone follows the recent energization of VSR, recognized as the Philippines' most advanced AI-ready hyperscale data center. This achievement was made possible through the activation of Meralco's 115 kV Switching Station in Sta. Rosa, signaling the data center's readiness for clients to deploy their IT equipment.
Several telecommunications providers have already established points-of-presence (POPs) at the facility, along with various enterprises and hyperscalers.
VITRO has also activated VSR's network infrastructure, ensuring seamless connectivity solutions tailored to clients' business needs. VSR now offers interconnection with other VITRO sites and hosts the VITRO Internet Exchange, which supports the country's richest IP ecosystem.
ePLDT, in partnership with VITRO, is set to pioneer GPUaaS in the country. This first-of-its-kind service in the Philippines will provide customers with on-demand access to powerful accelerated resources optimized for AI without substantial upfront investments in hardware.
GPUaaS is designed for complex, high-compute tasks such as Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), use cases meant to drive revenue and reduce operating costs.
With GPUaaS, large enterprises and government agencies can leverage AI solutions to enhance their efficiency, productivity, and growth plans. This cutting-edge service, underpinned by PLDT's robust infrastructure and seamless connectivity, offers businesses flexibility and cost-effectiveness—they pay only for what they consume.
ePLDT stated this development is a significant step towards establishing the Philippines as a premier digital hub in the Asia Pacific, attracting cloud and AI companies to the country's growing digital landscape.
It also supports PLDT's vision of making the Philippines a hyperscale investment destination in Asia Pacific and aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9 (SDG 9)—Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.