THE Philippines is stepping up its energy and digital infrastructure partnerships with United Arab Emirates companies in conjunction with Pax Silica, the Board of Investments (BOI) said on Thursday.
Pax Silica is a United States-led international partnership launched in December 2025 to secure and diversify supply chains for artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors and critical minerals among Japan, Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Philippines.
On Monday, Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo went to the UAE to meet with officials of two firms, Masdar and DAMAC Digital, to advance investment plans and align partnerships on AI development.
Masdar engages in large-scale renewable projects, including solar, wind and battery storage. It has signed an agreement with the BOI to develop 10 gigawatts of renewable energy (RE) projects in the country by 2035.
“The Luzon AI-native hub integrates UAE’s RE expertise and data center capabilities for next-generation manufacturing,” Rodolfo said after meeting with Masdar Chief Investment Officer Raphael Barreau.
Dubai-based DAMAC Digital, a subsidiary of the DAMAC Group, provides high-density computing solutions and wants to build a 250-megawatt data center in Laguna to support the country’s growing AI and cloud computing needs.
Rodolfo discussed the project with DAMAC Digital Senior Vice President Troy Gilson, following a previous meeting between DAMAC Chairman Hussain Sajwani and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Abu Dhabi in January.
While in the UAE, Rodolfo also met with executives of other firms including Tristar Group, iSON Xperiences, AIM Congress and The Hub Trading LLC to leverage the Philippines-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the country’s first free trade deal in the Middle East signed on Jan. 13.
