By Last of two parts
Aside from a big number of internet users, strong social media and e-commerce adoption, the Philippines government’s strong support to cloud computing has ensured that the country will be another option for investors to invest in data centers.
As more companies digitize and turn to cloud platforms for seamless operations, JLL head of research and consultancy Janlo Delos Reyes said the property management firm believes the increased reliance online will translate to greater data consumption that will boost demand for data centers in the future. “Altogether, the abovementioned factors point towards the Philippines’ prospects as an attractive destination for data centers in the years to come.”
Sustainability and data centers
Leading fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc., responded promptly to the call of sustainability by switching to 100% clean energy to run its data center in Angeles City, Pampanga which is owned and operated by its parent company, ComClark Network and Technologies Corp.
“As part of our green initiatives and overall sustainability commitment, we are progressively moving towards the use of renewable energy in our operations. Data centers which operate 24/7 require a lot of cooling and thus, consume a lot of energy. This is the reason why we need to ensure that our power requirement comes from renewable sources like geothermal energy so that it will have less impact on the environment,” said Converge CEO Dennis Anthony Uy.
“Converge is continuously looking for ways to further reduce its carbon footprint as we have always believed that we need to protect the environment for our business to be sustainable and continue to flourish,” Uy stressed.
Converge announced the bold initiative on Earth Day 2022, underscoring its commitment to ensure a livable planet and environmental sustainability.
The company also recently entered into a supply contract with First Gen subsidiary, Greencore Geothermal, to secure 14.4MW of geothermal energy for two years (or 7.2 MW per year) until 2024 for the Pampanga data center. The contract was availed under the government’s Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) as mandated by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA) and with Greencore in compliance with the Department of Energy’s Renewable Portfolio Standards.
Two years ago, Converge concluded a similar agreement with Lopez Holdings’ First Gen, contracting 48 MW of geothermal energy until 2023 for the company’s headquarters in Pasig, Metro Manila which also houses a data center.
Converge has switched to 100 percent clean energy to run its data center in Angeles City, Pampanga which is owned and operated by its parent company, ComClark Network and Technologies Corp.
Uy pointed out that the ‘greening’ company operations is among the key principles of the Converge sustainability framework, under the pillar of ‘Giving Back to Our Planet’. Furthermore, the sustainability framework is now integrated in the overall company strategy to ensure Converge remains aligned with environmental, economic, social, and governance goals as it pursues company growth.
AWS’ road to Net Zero carbon
The International Energy Agency identified cloud-enabled technologies—such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing, data lakes, and real-time, big data analytics—as being critical to accelerating systemic transformations at scale. Furthermore Organizations around the world, including in developing countries, are already leveraging the power of the cloud to modernize and drive sustainability solutions.
Ken Haig, Head of Energy and Environmental Policy for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, said that the Jeff Bezos-controlled Amazon is committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 as part of The Climate Pledge—10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
“As part of The Climate Pledge, Amazon is on a path to power its operations with 100 percent renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of the initial 2030 target. AWS is making progress to meet its commitment to be water positive by 2030, focusing on efficiency across all aspects of our infrastructure, and reducing waste,” he told the BusinessMirror in an email interview.
Haig said the country has to seize the opportunity to lead the digitalization efforts of the region, especially as there is a big push towards cloud computing.
“Cloud aligns with digital initiatives such as the Philippine Digital Roadmap which aims to make the country a regional leader in digital transformation. Filipino organizations are moving to the cloud to take advantage of its benefits—agility, cost savings, elasticity, innovation and the ability to deploy globally in minutes,” Haig said during a recent online press briefing.