The race for digital infrastructure dominance in Southeast Asia just welcomed a new contender — with Digital Halo’s launch of MNL1, the Philippines’ first A.I. and hyperscale-ready data center, officially operational as of June 3, 2025.
Strategically situated in Cainta, Rizal, just outside Metro Manila, MNL1 marks the first of several state-of-the-art facilities planned by the company, which is backed by a US$400-million commitment from global private equity firm Partners Group and co-investor Arch Capital.
This milestone comes at a time when enterprises, governments, and tech providers are under increasing pressure to modernize their IT infrastructure. From artificial intelligence to cloud-native services, the demands on servers, storage, and connectivity are outpacing traditional data center capabilities.
MNL1 directly addresses these pain points by offering a facility engineered for scale, uptime, and environmental resilience. Located on elevated, stable terrain far from flood plains, fault lines, and volcanoes, the 3.75-hectare campus is designed to serve as a regional hub for mission-critical operations. Its location strikes a balance between accessibility and safety, ideal for businesses operating in Metro Manila.
From a technical standpoint, the data center boasts a planned 70-MW power capacity, making it ideal for high-density deployments, hyperscale colocation, and large-scale AI workloads. Early adopters include hyperscalers, enterprise-level clients, public sector entities, and multinational cloud providers.
What differentiates MNL1 is not just hardware — it’s leadership and strategy. Maricar Burgos-Nepomuceno, former head of Vitro data centers, brings decades of industry experience to the helm of Digital Halo’s Philippine operations. She leads a local team supported by an international bench of experts based in Singapore, whose members previously served in senior roles at Equinix and Keppel — names that resonate strongly in global data infrastructure.
The launch event was graced by Trade Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque, Swiss Ambassador Nicola Bruhl, and prominent leaders from finance, technology, and telecommunications sectors. Each attendee received a bespoke piña barong, symbolizing the merging of global ambition with Filipino identity — a powerful brand statement for a company seeking both domestic relevance and international credibility.
MNL1 is the cornerstone of a larger regional expansion strategy. Construction has already begun on JHB1, Digital Halo’s Malaysia facility, which will help form an interconnected network of hyperscale centers across Asia.
According to Digital Halo, the goal is to provide scalable colocation and infrastructure-as-a-service options, allowing customers to outsource data needs while focusing on core business functions. This model reflects broader shifts in the market, where agility, redundancy, and speed-to-scale have become non-negotiable.
In short, Digital Halo is making a clear wager: that the Philippines can — and should — play a central role in the future of digital infrastructure in Asia. And with MNL1, that future just got a little closer.
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