JAZA presses phl: catch up in AI race

Ayala Corp. Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala is urging the Philippines to accelerate investments in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and strengthen regional cooperation to keep pace with neighboring economies and capture emerging growth opportunities.

Speaking at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2026 on Saturday, Zobel de Ayala, popularly known as JAZA, said Southeast Asian countries must prioritize building the infrastructure needed to support AI adoption rather than attempting to compete directly with global developers of large language models.

“For AI to proceed, we need to build the infrastructure that AI needs to blossom,” he said.

JAZA pointed to Malaysia’s aggressive development of data centers, digital banking and software systems as an example of how coordinated investments could position countries to benefit from the rapidly expanding AI economy.

“I think Malaysia, for example, has set the tone, at least from what I read and what I see, of putting in a very concerted effort for the infrastructure necessary for AI to flourish. We have not yet done that in the Philippines,” he said.

He stressed that ASEAN economies should work together to identify the infrastructure and technologies needed to compete in the global AI market.

“So as we enter this AI world, I think there should be a conversation within ASEAN as well as what is the plumbing, what is the infrastructure we need to make AI succeed? I don’t think we are going to be leaders in the actual modeling itself, but they’re going to need our markets, and they’re going to need engines that can survive in those markets,” JAZA said.

Stronger regional cooperation

He said stronger regional cooperation would also be critical as shifting global trade relationships open opportunities for Southeast Asian businesses to attract investments and expand into new markets.

Rising United States tariffs and growing tensions between Washington and Beijing, he noted, have disrupted traditional trade arrangements, prompting countries to explore alternative partnerships.

“I see that disruption as an opportunity,” the Ayala Corp. top honcho said. “I think to succeed in this new world with shifting alliances, ASEAN has to be strong. We have to bring up the standards of each of our countries to be at the same level. But for that, there has to be a sense of unity, a sense of cooperation.”

However, JAZA said inconsistent investment regulations and approval processes across ASEAN continue to make regional expansion difficult for companies.

For Ayala, which already has investments in Indonesia and Vietnam, harmonizing these requirements would make it easier to expand operations and pursue growth opportunities across Southeast Asia.

“But the standards that we have, the approval standards, the way to get your investment filed, it’s different in each of these countries,” he said

“So the first order of the day, I think, would be ideally to have a fairly seamless process that would allow us to move easily between the countries and make putting up an investment as easy as possible,” he added.

Improved regulatory alignment, strengthened cooperation

JAZA stressed that improving regulatory alignment and strengthening cooperation would help ASEAN economies compete more effectively for investments as global trade and technology markets evolve.

The Philippines is stepping up efforts to attract AI investments and expand digital infrastructure to strengthen its competitiveness in the global technology market.

It is also poised to participate in the US-led Pax Silica initiative, which seeks to secure supply chains for semiconductors, critical minerals, and AI infrastructure.