Site development for the planned Pax Silica artificial intelligence hub in Central Luzon is expected to begin within three to five years, with the first phase covering approximately 500 hectares of the 1,620-hectare property, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said.
“We see this as a long-term (investment). The first phase will be around 500 hectares. We see that in three to five years,” said BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Joshua Bingcang during a briefing at New Clark City in Tarlac on Friday.
Bingcang said full operations of the hub are projected within a 30-year period, a timeline the government links to a potential increase in Philippine exports to around $200 billion. Merchandise exports reached a record $84.48 billion in 2025, driven largely by semiconductor shipments.
The Pax Silica initiative is intended to position the Philippines as a regional AI hub, drawing semiconductor firms and AI-related businesses to locate operations in the country.
Bingcang addressed earlier reports describing Pax Silica as an energy-intensive project centered on data centers, saying any data centers built on the site would serve semiconductor companies operating there rather than hyperscale providers serving global clients.
“We will not put up data centers here. It will be for something which the New Clark City is really built for – predominantly, it will be for industrial use,” he said.
He added that New Clark City’s master plan supports multiple industries, and that any major data centers built in the broader area would fall outside the Pax Silica site itself.
During the same briefing, Trade and Industry Undersecretary and Board of Investments managing head Ceferino Rodolfo said the Philippines has joined a coalition of around 23 countries formed to strengthen the value proposition of domestic minerals and semiconductor production.
Rodolfo said member countries have varying reasons for participating, citing rising global demand for AI technology and its supply-chain requirements. “For the Philippines’ case, we are here because we would like to add value to the activities that we currently have in the Philippines. For example, for the minerals that we are able to export, we would like to add more value to the minerals that we are exporting largely in unprocessed form. For our semiconductor industry, we would like to move up the value chain,” he said.
He said the coalition’s aims converge with the Philippines’ own goals despite differing motivations among members, and confirmed the pact is non-binding, allowing any signatory to withdraw.
Asked what the Philippines stands to lose by exiting the coalition, Rodolfo said non-membership would mean forfeiting access to the group’s shared innovation efforts. “That’s why there is a need for a coordinated effort for investments. It’s non-binding but we share the same principles and you are branded as a trusted partner,” he said.
