DITO CME (Philippine telecommunications company) announced plans to develop a hyperscaler-tier datacenter facility.

DITO CME Holdings Corp. plans to develop a data center in Clark to serve global technology companies. "We have been in talks with about three foreign interested partners," DITO CME President and Director Ernesto R. Alberto told BusinessWorld. The company is exploring partnerships with hyperscalers, stating, "We are in continuing discussions with foreign partners that will allow us to look at a business model to tap into the hyperscalers, because this [will determine] the viability of [our] investment [to] lure these big locators to the country. These hyperscaler companies serve their customers across… Asia-Pacific and ASEAN." Mr. Alberto noted that moving forward is primarily a matter of timing given pandemic considerations.

The Philippines represents an attractive alternative as major technology companies relocate from other Asian markets. According to Mr. Alberto, "There is… opportunity, not only by telcos but also standalone technology companies that are moving away from Hong Kong because they have over-invested there, such as Google and Amazon — particularly US companies — for reasons we already know, and they are looking at the Philippines, amongst many other countries, for data center space. That's under discussions today." This migration is driven by challenges in the region, particularly in Singapore and Hong Kong—Hong Kong faces geopolitical risks from China's National Security Law, while Singapore has issued a moratorium to freeze data center construction due to sustainability concerns and landmass shortage.

DITO CME possesses strategic assets for the venture. "When the opportunity arises, I think what we can bring to the table in any partnership is we have the real estate, we [also] have internally accomplished it particularly with the telco…, and we have the local expertise that will deliver that," Mr. Alberto explained. "It's a good opportunity. It's just a matter of timing and capital. We do have land assets particularly in Clark, with Udenna Land, Inc. owning the new central business district." DITO Telecommunity Corp. and Udenna Land broke ground in April on the company's first data center in Clark Global City, positioned to become the central business district of North and Central Luzon.

DITO CME, which owns 54% of DITO Telecommunity, handles the Udenna group's investments in media, communications, entertainment, and information technology through three digital companies: Unalytics, which provides managed analytics services; Acuity Global, which curates media properties across platforms and provides media planning and buying; and Luna Academy, an online education platform aimed at equipping users with future-ready skills, credentials, and certificates. On Friday, DITO CME shares closed 1.19% lower at P6.62 apiece.