Philippines seeks UAE investments for AI development

MANILA, Philippines — The Board of Investments (BOI) is encouraging United Arab Emirates (UAE) firms to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) development, following the Philippines’ recent accession to the United States-led Pax Silica initiative.

BOI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo recently met with officials of Masdar and DAMAC Digital to discuss investment plans in the Philippines and align partnerships on AI development in line with the Pax Silica initiative.

The Philippines recently joined the Pax Silica alliance, which aims to advance a secure and resilient supply chain for AI and semiconductors.

Following its accession to the initiative, the Philippines also announced a plan with the US to establish a 4,000-acre AI-native industrial acceleration hub in New Clark City in Luzon.

The BOI is seeking investments from UAE firms as the AI hub requires robust energy and digital infrastructure to support high-end AI processing and next-gen manufacturing.

During the meeting with Masdar chief investment officer Raphael Barreau, discussions covered renewable energy solutions for the AI hub in the Philippines.

Masdar is actively involved in powering Abu Dhabi’s Stargate UAE project with five-gigawatt renewables and 19-gigawatt-hour battery energy storage system.

It is also supporting the development of up to 10-GW renewable energy projects in the Philippines by 2035.

Meanwhile, the meeting with DAMAC digital senior vice president Troy Gilson tackled the progress on a 250-megawatt data center facility in the Philippines.

For the BOI, DAMAC’s investment strengthens the country as a hub for AI-driven technologies under the Pax Silica alliance.

“The Luzon AI-native hub within the Pax Silica alliance integrates UAE’s renewable energy expertise and data center capabilities for the next-gen manufacturing,” Rodolfo said.

“Our collaborations with industry leaders such as Masdar and DAMAC underscore our commitment to transform Philippines into a premier destination for AI-driven technologies and sustainable industrial acceleration,” he added.