ePLDT, Dell, and Katonic launch the first sovereign AI platform in the Philippines, expanding compute infrastructure outside U.S.-China duopoly.

ePLDT, Dell Technologies, and Katonic AI have launched Pilipinas AI, the country's first sovereign artificial intelligence solution stack, positioning the Philippines alongside nations building secure and self-reliant digital infrastructures. Sovereign AI refers to AI systems and platforms that are developed, hosted, and managed within a country's borders, ensuring that critical data and workloads remain under local jurisdiction. This development addresses an increasingly important priority for governments and enterprises worldwide, as it safeguards national security, strengthens compliance with data privacy regulations, and reduces dependence on foreign-owned infrastructure.

The platform builds on ePLDT's earlier introduction of its GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) model at the Vitro Sta. Rosa (VSR) data center, which houses NVIDIA-powered GPU servers for high-performance computing. The partnership with Dell Technologies and Katonic AI enhances this capability with a GPU management platform and an AI orchestration layer, forming the complete foundation of Pilipinas AI. By providing a locally hosted and fully integrated platform, Pilipinas AI allows Philippine enterprises to accelerate AI adoption while addressing challenges such as complex integration and the shortage of AI expertise, enabling organizations to deploy solutions more efficiently across sectors including banking and finance, business process outsourcing, healthcare, public services, and academia.

Use cases for Pilipinas AI span fraud detection and AI-driven weather forecasting to improved customer service and AI-assisted medical diagnostics. Victor Genuino, president and CEO of ePLDT and VITRO Inc., underscored the initiative's importance, stating: "With Pilipinas AI, we are ensuring that Philippine enterprises take that leap onto solid ground — supported by secure infrastructure, trusted partners, and a vision for sustainable digital progress." Globally, sovereign AI initiatives are gaining momentum as countries aim to strengthen digital sovereignty and ensure resilience in the face of growing reliance on cloud computing and AI systems.