ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) Philippines is building the country’s data center pool through strategic partnerships with top universities to serve the digital industry's projected 20 percent growth through 2030, the company announced Thursday, July 20.

STT GDC, a joint venture of Globe, Ayala Corporation and Singapore-based ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, now collaborates with De La Salle University, the University of Santo Tomas and the National University to nurture the next generation of the data sector's human resources.

"The key to securing the digital future of the Philippines lies in the hands of our youth," stressed Carlo Malana, President and CEO of STT GDC Philippines.

And the partnership between industry and academia provides students with real-world experience plus a career pathway within the sector that they need.

"This merges the academic expertise of our university partners with industry insights from STT GDC Philippines, offering an enriched learning journey for students and a future for our nation's digital revolution,” he elaborated.

The collaboration focuses on enhancing awareness of the data center industry, integrating industry-relevant content into engineering curricula and providing practical, hands-on internship programs.

In addition, the partners plan to develop joint projects on energy efficiency, cooling technologies and security systems to tackle industry challenges head-on.

Eventually, STT GDC Philippines plans to scale up the program, inviting more universities and training institutions to participate.

Just recently, the company broke ground on the nation’s largest and most interconnected carrier-neutral data center, STT Fairview.

Built to meet international standards, this facility prioritizes sustainability, incorporating significant carbon reductions, Artificial Intelligence (AI), liquid cooling-readiness, and a commitment towards carbon-neutral operations by 2030.