PLDT Inc. and its wireless arm Smart Communications Inc. are expanding their push to make artificial intelligence (AI) more accessible in the Philippines, focusing on local infrastructure, industry use cases, and community training as AI adoption picks up nationwide.
For 2026, PLDT said it is strengthening its role in the global AI space by investing in data centers, networks, and skills development to help businesses, government agencies, and communities use AI in practical ways.
A key part of this effort is VITRO Sta. Rosa, the country’s first hyperscale data center designed for AI workloads. The facility is located in Laguna and developed by VITRO Inc., the data center arm of the PLDT group. PLDT said the site supports high-powered computing needs required by AI applications and is linked to the company’s fixed and wireless networks.
The data center also hosts Pilipinas AI, described as the country’s first sovereign artificial intelligence solutions stack. The platform allows companies and government agencies to use AI tools without building their own systems. Data and workloads are kept within the Philippines, addressing concerns over data security and control.
PLDT SVP and Head of Enterprise Business Group Blums Pineda was appointed as PLDT Group AI Business Lead to oversee these efforts. According to Pineda, the company is developing AI applications for sectors such as banking, business process outsourcing, healthcare, utilities, and government. These tools are intended to speed up processes, reduce manual work, and improve customer service.
PLDT and Smart are also working on what they call responsible AI use, especially at the community level. Through training programs and partnerships, the companies aim to introduce AI in ways that are easy to understand and directly useful.
In 2025, the group launched “AI-in-a-Box,” a program that provides connectivity, training, and AI tools to local government units, schools, small businesses, and non-government organizations. The initiative has reached communities in areas such as Bicol, Bataan, Baguio, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
PLDT and Smart have also partnered with ATRIEV, an organization supporting persons with visual impairment, to conduct AI for Accessibility training. These sessions showed how AI-powered tools can help improve communication, learning, and access to information for persons with disabilities.
The companies also worked with media organizations where they conducted AI and digital security workshops for journalists in Metro Manila, Cebu, Eastern Visayas, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao. They also distributed AI-in-a-Box kits to media partners, including 5G home WiFi devices and access to AI tools for research and writing.
Among younger users, PLDT and Smart recently held the DATAxYOUTH AI Innovation Challenge at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Students from the Technological Institute of the Philippines and National University won top prizes for projects addressing issues such as fake news detection and flood monitoring.