The Supply-Driven AI Race: GPU Scarcity Is Shaping Asia’s Data Center Models
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. joined industry leaders at the launch of PLDT’s VITRO Sta. Rosa Data Center, a 50MW facility purpose-built for AI workloads and among the first in Southeast Asia to integrate NVIDIA GPU-as-a-Service from inception.
The global shortage of NVIDIA GPUs is changing how data centers are planned and financed in Asia. Instead of building facilities in advance of demand, operators are aligning construction timelines directly with GPU allocation agreements.
This model is gaining traction in the Philippines, where VITRO Sta. Rosa – a hyperscale data center by PLDT subsidiary ePLDT – is tailored for AI workloads. The 50MW facility is equipped with NVIDIA GPU servers and offers GPU as a Service (GPUaaS), a first in the Philippine market. By securing hardware before construction, the project mitigated capital risk and ensured immediate operational capability.
The facility’s integration with PLDT’s national fiber backbone and subsea cable systems positions it for regional connectivity, a factor increasingly relevant to AI investment in Southeast Asia.
The move toward specialized, GPU-focused builds is also driving investment in data center energy efficiency and advanced cooling systems. These capabilities align with the rising priority for green AI investment as power consumption and sustainability metrics influence investor decisions.
For operators and investors, this supply-driven model underscores the importance of securing technology partnerships early and designing infrastructure around specific, high-value workloads.
The GPU allocation race will be one of the key investment strategy debates at the AI Week Asia 2025 Investor Day, connecting hardware availability to project finance and regional competitiveness.
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