THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is seeking $30 billion in investments over seven years under its Philippines AI+ Infrastructure Masterplan (PAIIM 2033).
“We expect the Economic Development Committee to approve the masterplan by July this year,” DICT Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda told reporters at the agency’s 10th anniversary celebration.
The masterplan outlines the country’s long-term strategy for developing artificial intelligence-ready infrastructure, expanding digital connectivity, enabling high-performance computing capabilities, fostering local innovation, and attracting global digital industries.
While the Philippines ranks fourth overall in Asean in the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index 2025, it performs strongly in governance and adoption — ranking third in policy capacity and fifth in public sector AI adoption.
Yet despite these legislative and policy strengths, the country continues to lag behind regional leaders in physical AI infrastructure, particularly in compute capacity, data center development, and robust digital connectivity.
Addressing these gaps is essential to unlocking the full potential of AI, DICT said. Its masterplan provides the roadmap through coordinated investments in AI-ready infrastructure for the Philippines to become a regional hub for innovation and digital industries.
“Countries that build the infrastructure of the AI economy today will attract the investments, industries, and high-value jobs of tomorrow. PAIIM 2033 ensures that the Philippines is prepared not only to adopt AI, but to become a regional leader in powering it,” Aguda said.
The masterplan envisions the establishment of up to 1.5 gigawatts of AI-ready, data center capacity by 2033, supported by expanded digital connectivity, renewable energy, skilled talent, and a robust regulatory framework.
It targets the creation of more than 500,000 AI-related jobs, $8-12 billion in private investment, and a potential 10-12 percent uplift in national gross domestic product (GDP) through increased productivity and digital transformation.
The masterplan builds on existing government programs such as the National Digital Connectivity Plan, the National AI Strategy for the Philippines, the National AI Strategy Roadmap 2.0, the National Cybersecurity Plan, and the Philippine Energy Plan.
It likewise supports the administration’s broader vision of transforming the Philippines into a trusted digital and innovation hub under the Pax Silica Initiative.
Once approved, the roadmap will undergo recommendation, review, and approval by the president through the issuance of an executive order that will institutionalize the masterplan as a national priority program and establish the governance mechanisms necessary for its implementation.
Through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach anchored on Digital Bayanihan, Paiim 2033 seeks to ensure that the Philippines becomes not merely a consumer of AI technologies, but a producer, host, and regional leader in the infrastructure that powers the AI-driven future. TMT
