An artificial intelligence firm in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates is considering investing in the Philippines, Information and Communications Technology chief, Secretary Henry Aguda, revealed on Thursday.
According to Aguda, the Group 42 Holding Ltd. (G42), an AI development holding company founded in 2018, expressed its intention to put up a data center here, a significant move particularly in view of the fact that the Philippine government is set to complete its National Fiber Backbone project.
On August 2025, the DICT said the National Fiber Backbone project aims to provide faster and more reliable internet connectivity, estimating that around 70 million Filipinos will benefit from the project.
Two-phased project
The two-phased project covers southern Luzon and parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.
“When data center companies heard about the project, they saw that the Philippines could be a data center hub in the region. Imagine that in the future, we can export AI services because if we can consume AI, it’s like a utility, wherein they count the token that the country is using. And if data centers are located in the Philippines, we are exporting technology. It’s exciting news, and there are a lot of data center locators who are excited to come to the Philippines,” Aguda explained.
He said G42 is set to pour in roughly $300 to $500 million, likely to be spread over three to five years.
Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had a meeting with Hussain Sajwani, founder and chairman of DAMAC Digital, at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Abu Dhabi.
The talks centered on potential investments in the Philippines’ digital infrastructure sector, including the establishment of a large data center facility.
The Philippines is positioning itself to attract large-scale digital infrastructure investments.
Aguda said DAMAC is considering pouring in $1 billion for the data center project here.
Initial numbers
“Those are initial numbers. They have to do more due diligence. They have to come to the Philippines, check the availability of land, as data centers also need power and other utilities,” Aguda said.