Gov’t to Invite Apple, NVIDIA, Big Tech Companies for Pax Silica

The Philippine government is issuing an invitation to the world’s biggest technology companies to locate within the planned Pax Silica hub in New Clark City.

Included in the government’s “wish list” are Apple, NVIDIA, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., MediaTek, United Microelectronics Corp., Qualcomm, Advanced Micro Devices, and Broadcom Inc.

“We are going to invite them once the ecosystem is available,” the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (B.C.D.A.) President Joshua Bingcang said at a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) on Monday.

“Once the agreement is signed, we’re going to court them together with our private sector partners,” he added.

However, attracting big companies to the site is not the B.C.D.A.’s “ultimate vision” for the 1,619-hectare project or the Pax Silica, according to Mr. Bingcang.

“One day, we want to have our own brand. The Philippines should have its own brand,” he said. “We should not just be buyers, but producers of these companies.”

Moreover, Mr. Bingcang assured that their organization would not limit its options to investments from Washington, since it is a United States (U.S.)-led project, and the foreign country seeks to transform New Clark City to an advanced manufacturing base.

He further shared that he is negotiating with three other countries: South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan for similar “industrial development”, however not at the scale of 1,619 hectare, while discussions regarding the project remain preliminary.

Mr. Bingcang explained that South Korea is interested in leasing at least 250-hectare in New Clark City; Singapore is eyeing a larger 300-hectare site; Taiwan is interested in leasing land there, which Mr. Bingcang noted it had been master-planned from the outset to host advanced manufacturing and industrial facilities.

Technology corridor

“We want to assure that we’re not just limiting the option to one country,” Mr. Bingcang said. 

“There are other opportunities.”

Meanwhile, the B.C.D.A. is negotiating a “master agreement” with its U.S. government counterparts for the Pax Silica site.

If the November signing target is met, Mr. Bingcang said development could begin as early as 2027.

He earlier said full development of Pax Silica could take 30 years, with the first locators expected within three to five years.

Even before construction, the government has outlined a larger vision for Pax Silica as part of the Philippines’ planned “technology corridor.”

New Clark City’s Pax Silica hub will be the first part, followed by an integrated circuit design hub planned for Metro Manila. Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo identified Muntinlupa as a potential site because of its strong academe and industry presence. Next will be a minerals corridor in Mindanao, which will supply materials needed for advanced manufacturing.

The government is also considering Batangas for Artificial Intelligence compute data centers, and other cloud and digital infrastructure.

USec. Rodolfo said the state-run Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority also proposed a “Pax Pacifica” initiative. Its Casiguran site would serve as a Pacific-facing hub for subsea cables, digital trade, edge infrastructure and logistics.

Ultimately, the technology corridor aims to establish the Philippines’ first wafer laboratory in Bulacan to attract more foundry investments.