The PLDT Group is accelerating its digital transformation with artificial intelligence, automation, and new infrastructure aimed at reshaping the country’s telecommunications sector.
At the P&A Grant Thornton Economic and Industry Forum in Makati, Branden Dean, PLDT and Smart vice president for IT intelligent automation technologies, said AI is now at the core of how the company connects with customers and manages its network.
“Connectivity today goes beyond access—it is about intelligence, agility, and personalization,” Dean told business leaders and industry experts during a panel discussion on digital innovation trends and challenges.
Dean said PLDT is using AI to study customer behavior, deliver more personalized services, and prevent service disruptions through predictive analytics. AI-powered virtual agents are also being deployed to enhance customer care, while robotic process automation is streamlining workflows and cutting operational costs.
Still, he noted that legacy systems, cybersecurity threats, and workforce upskilling remain hurdles to full adoption.
To back its AI strategy, PLDT recently opened the VITRO Santa Rosa (VSR) hyperscale data center in Laguna, the country’s first facility built for AI workloads. Operated by subsidiary ePLDT, the data center has a 50-megawatt capacity and hosts live GPU servers running ePLDT’s AI Stack solution, which provides enterprises with high-performance computing resources without the need to invest in their own systems.
Integrated into PLDT’s nationwide fiber and subsea cable network, the VSR facility is positioned to support the Philippines’ goal of becoming a regional digital hub. PLDT said the project will help attract foreign investment, foster local technology growth, and contribute to broader economic development.
Dean stressed that transformation requires speed and a focus on people: “It’s not about whether we should transform—it’s about how bold, how quick, and how human-centric we can make it.”
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