The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Board of Investments (BOI) are deepening investment talks with United Arab Emirates firms Masdar and DAMAC Digital as the Philippines positions itself to become a regional hub for artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing under the US-backed Pax Silica initiative.
DTI Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Dr. Ceferino Rodolfo separately met executives from the two companies to align potential investments linked to the proposed 4,000-acre AI-native industrial acceleration hub in Luzon.
The project is expected to require massive renewable energy capacity, data infrastructure, and next-generation manufacturing support systems to power AI-driven operations.
The discussions signal Manila’s push to secure strategic foreign investments early as regional competition intensifies for AI-related infrastructure, particularly energy-intensive data centers and semiconductor-linked manufacturing facilities.
In talks with Masdar Chief Investment Officer Raphael Barreau, Rodolfo explored renewable energy solutions for the Luzon hub.
Masdar is involved in Abu Dhabi’s Stargate UAE project, supported by 5 gigawatts of renewable energy and a 19-gigawatt-hour battery energy storage system, experience that could help address the Philippines’ long-standing power supply and energy cost challenges.
Masdar also maintains an existing memorandum of understanding with the BOI covering the development of up to 10 gigawatts of renewable energy projects in the Philippines by 2035, potentially strengthening the country’s capacity to support energy-heavy AI and digital industries.
Rodolfo likewise met with DAMAC Digital Senior Vice President Troy Gilson to discuss progress on the company’s planned 250-megawatt data center project in the Philippines.
The planned facility forms part of broader investment discussions initiated earlier this year between DAMAC Chairman Hussain Sajwani and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Abu Dhabi.
Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ver said the country’s accession to the Pax Silica alliance reinforces bilateral investment cooperation with the UAE, including through the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement.
The emerging partnerships highlight how the Philippines is leveraging geopolitical and economic ties with both the United States and Gulf investors to accelerate its ambitions in AI infrastructure, clean energy, and high-tech manufacturing.
