Toshiba Corp. plans to expand production of nearline hard disk drives (NL-HDDs) in the Philippines over the next three years, a move the Department of Finance (DOF) said is expected to create about 3,000 jobs.
The DOF did not specify the investment amount. The department announced the plan in a statement on Monday, October 5, after Finance Secretary Frederick Go met Toshiba officials led by Koji Ikeya, the company’s chief operating officer and senior executive vice president.
NL-HDDs are high-capacity drives used in data centers for data that does not need to be accessed instantly. The DOF said demand is growing as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital services and other data-intensive technologies expand.
Go described the expansion as “an opportunity to strengthen our industrial base” and said it would help build an electronics and technology ecosystem that creates jobs for Filipinos. Ikeya said Toshiba remains committed to growing its presence in the country, building on its Filipino employees and working with the government on its “next phase of investment.”
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto discussed the plan with Ikeya at Malacañang on October 1. Recto called it a “vote of confidence for the Philippines.” The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said its Director General, Tereso Panga, arranged meetings between Toshiba executives, Go and Recto, with support from Trade Secretary Cristina Roque. PEZA said the talks covered incentives under the CREATE MORE Law, including a support package for highly desirable investments.
Toshiba Information Equipment (Philippines) Inc. was established at the Laguna Technopark in 1995 and began operations in 1996, according to GMA News. The company operates in Laguna Technopark and Carmelray Industrial Park in Calamba, where it makes hard disk drives, enterprise solid-state drives and helium-filled HDDs. At its 30th anniversary, the company said it had begun making nearline HDDs at its Laguna Technopark facility, in addition to Carmelray, and had shipped the first products from the expanded line.
BusinessWorld reported that the Philippines aims to move its electronics production beyond assembly, test and packaging into advanced manufacturing. The Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Roadmap sets 2030 targets of $70 billion for semiconductor exports and $40 billion for electronics.
Nikkei Asia has separately reported that Toshiba plans to double its hard disk drive production capacity within fiscal 2027 from its 2025 level, and that the Philippine expansion will be its first major investment in the business in about five years.
PEZA said it would work with Toshiba and other government agencies to facilitate the investment, boost exports and create opportunities for local suppliers and workers.
