ABB energizes VITRO Santa Rosa data center

GLOBAL ELECTRICAL engineering company ABB Ltd. has energized VITRO Santa Rosa, providing a complete electrification solution and scalable power distribution across the data center’s 50-megawatt (MW) facility.

“VITRO Santa Rosa marks a significant leap in the country’s digital transformation and AI (artificial intelligence) adoption. Through our partnerships with ABB and DCPI (Distribution & Control Products, Inc.), we’re able to scale faster and deliver world-class infrastructure built for businesses in the age of AI,” ePLDT Inc. and VITRO Inc. President Victor S. Genuino said in a media release on Thursday.

VITRO is a fully owned subsidiary of ePLDT, the ICT holding company of the Pangilinan-led PLDT Inc. group.

ABB noted that growing demand for AI infrastructure, cloud services, and streaming requires high availability and reliability for mission-critical workloads. The data center integrates three independent fiber routes, the company said.

“The integrated design ensures compliance with Philippine market requirements and gives VITRO Santa Rosa the flexibility to scale as AI workloads grow and demand for digital services accelerates,” ABB added.

Together with DCPI, ABB delivered a medium- and low-voltage electrification solution designed to provide continuous uptime and energy efficiency.

“Delivering the world’s most advanced data centers takes global expertise and strong local partnerships. High performance starts with reliability — smart solutions that ensure critical power is always available,” said ABB Philippines Marketing and Sales Director for Electrification Smart Buildings and Smart Power Christine Macadamia Penequito.

Earlier this year, PLDT inaugurated VITRO Sta. Rosa, its 11th data center, as part of its plan to expand its data center business.

The facility, located on a five-hectare site in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, is the country’s largest data center campus, with a capacity of up to 50 MW. Across all VITRO sites, the combined capacity is nearly 100 MW.

PLDT is also advancing plans for its 12th and largest data center, to be built in General Trias, Cavite, with a capacity of up to 100 MW — double that of VITRO Sta. Rosa.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., holds a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Ashley Erika O. Jose