The Board of Investments (BOI) is mapping out a six-node technology corridor linking mineral processing, chip design, advanced manufacturing, and digital infrastructure to position the Philippines as an investment destination for artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies.
Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo said the proposed Super Intelligence, Knowledge, and Advanced Technology (SIKAT) Corridor would connect existing and planned projects across the country, although development initiatives are at varying stages of readiness.
“It’s a technology corridor encompassing the AI ecosystem, from minerals to materials to advanced manufacturing to digital infrastructure,” Rodolfo said.
Still at the conceptual stage, the initiative has no investment target or firm timetable. Rodolfo said the projects would rely on private-sector investments, with the government providing the framework to link complementary industries and infrastructure.
The six nodes include advanced manufacturing in New Clark City; an integrated circuit design hub in Metro Manila connected to academic and commercial centers nationwide; minerals processing, likely in Mindanao; digital infrastructure in Batangas and Aurora; and an AI logistics gateway in Bulacan.
The proposed logistics gateway would be anchored on the New Manila International Airport, which Rodolfo identified as the corridor’s longest-term component. Batangas is the immediate priority for digital infrastructure development, while Aurora is being considered for the medium term.
The corridor builds on the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s AI Infrastructure Master Plan and complements the Luzon Economic Corridor, extending the country’s investment network beyond Luzon to Mindanao.
BOI has consulted industry associations, government agencies, and investment promotion agencies on the proposal and has also presented the concept in Australia.
Speaking at a gathering of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Rodolfo stressed that attracting investments in emerging technologies would require cross-border cooperation and stronger regional linkages.
“The industries of the future cannot be built within countries alone,” he said.
