Carlo Malana

Demand for digital services and internet connectivity is driving the development of data centres in the Philippines, with ST Telemedia Global Data Centres Philippines (STT GDC Philippines) leading the way.

Carlo Malana is the President and CEO of STT GDC Philippines, and he explains how the company, which only formed in 2022, is embracing the challenge.

“It all happened quite fast, we were essentially a startup,” recalls Malana, when the company was first formed in a joint venture between Globe Telecom, Singapore based STT GDC, and conglomerate Ayala Corp.

“In 2023 we got real traction and set about changing the company. We started creating most of our capabilities in-house adapting processes so we could make decisions faster and rapidly respond to customer demands. 

“We created a framework where we were able to do things that were simply not possible in the old infrastructure. Some customers say we are doing what they thought was impossible, so we've made that part of our DNA. We want to be a company that is trusted, easy to deal with, very fast, and can be banked on to deliver on the promises that we make.”

Just a year after the company was formed, STT GDC Philippines broke ground on the most interconnected, carrier-neutral data centre in the country. Not just that, but the STT Fairview proved to be a step change. 

“In a country where a 6MW data centre was once considered large, and most were around 2MW or 3MW, we came along announcing 124MW,” says Malana.

With this increased connectivity and ramping up of data centre capacity, Malana shares the view of many experts who believe that the Philippines could become an alternative regional hub for hyperscalers looking to tackle concerns in traditional strongholds such as lack of space in Singapore or geopolitics in Hong Kong.

“With the investments that STT GDC Philippines is making, we aim to play a significant role in developing the nation’s digital future,” Malana says. 

“Here we are building one data centre campus that is going to be twice the existing capacity of the entire country, because we want to make sure we have the scale. One of the key things for global cloud providers is that they want to see a runway – they want to see the ability to scale when they look at viable locations.

“So we provided strategic runways for both Fairview and Cavite, our two main campuses, and we also have three sites where not only can we fulfil their needs in the very near future but in the years to come.”

Malana is clearly passionate about jump-starting the digital infrastructure growth in his home country, having spent more than 20 years in the US and Mexico before returning in late 2019 to work at Globe Telecom. While this move was in part driven by a desire to be closer to his family, he was also looking for an opportunity to make a difference in the future of the country he loves. 

“I want to be able to make a difference in how the Philippines evolves in the future,” he says. “I am really proud that we have been able to accept the challenge of growing this company, with a very ambitious plan to execute, and be able to deliver what we promise. 

“We're prepared for the challenges and confident that with this new and differentiated data centre capacity, we will be able to capture new demand while also helping our customers meet their own sustainability ambitions.”

Read the full story HERE. 

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