Pax Silica: Building a huge AI Data Center in the Philippines

[demonica]

Pax Silica is an international initiative lead by the US to focus on securing the supply chain needed for AI. This initiative includes other members like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. These countries are developed countries in Asia. And just recently, it was announced that the Philippines will join this initiative.

So what does the third world country can contribute to Pax Silica?

Aside from minerals, they are planning to build an approximately 400-acre zone data center in the country. Now, it’s controversial in the country as it brings worries to people such as the land use, environment impact, especially the water and electricity it will consume. The government see this as an opportunity to bring more employment and foreign investors, However, the public contradicts to this plan as it will bring more negative impact to the environment.

Is the Philippines and the government really ready for this?

And we know how data center can impact the area where it is build, and we’ve seen it from other countries like US. Dirty water supply and water availability to the households near the area, Electricity demand, Noise pollution, Traffic and other disturbance during the construction phase, and probably much more once it started operating.

Today, we’re slowly relying more on AI with the simple things we do, so the demand for it also grows even more. But what do you guys think if that demand means building a huge AI data center near your house or community?

Code:

https://avasant.com/report/pax-silica-and-the-philippines-what-the-new-economic-security-zone-means-for-global-supply-chains/

[Botnake]

I would not question what Pax Silica can bring to the Philippines. Surely it can create jobs and help the country become more advanced.

My concern is the natural resources that may be damaged just to bring these big companies in. Thats also what I keep reading in many comments, especially about its possible negative impact on the environment.

So for those who are experts on this topic, I would really like to know if there is something we should be worried about. I will keep following this thread because I admit I still don't fully understand everything, and I want to be properly educated about what we need to know.

[MArsland]

Today, we’re slowly relying more on AI with the simple things we do, so the demand for it also grows even more. But what do you guys think if that demand means building a huge AI data center near your house or community?

In my country, data centers will also be built for AI needs, especially microsoft programs that are currently being developed. I do not know what the conditions are in the Philippines but in indonesia, which is 6.3 times wider. To build an AI data Development Center is certainly a large area of land, has electricity supply capacity, and abundant water. So it is not surprising that Filipinos reject the development because it can worsen the region and the temperature in the already densely populated neighborhood.

[blockman]

I've posted this in our local but it seems that there's not that much interest(PAX SILICA).

But what do you guys think if that demand means building a huge AI data center near your house or community?

I am in the midst of it. Can't deny the progress that this will bring to our country. But there's already the red flag that it has shown. The latest news is about this(BCDA denies forcing out farmers for US-backed Pax Silica). I don't think that the farmers are lying that they're being forced to be out of their farm lands. It's also being offered for measly P30 per square meter or $0.49 for 0.000247105 acres or P300k per 1 hectare or $4935.43 per 2.47105 acre which is a steal and cheapskate offer, an unfair deal.

[bisdak40]

I would not question what Pax Silica can bring to the Philippines. Surely it can create jobs and help the country become more advanced.

My concern is the natural resources that may be damaged just to bring these big companies in. Thats also what I keep reading in many comments, especially about its possible negative impact on the environment.

So for those who are experts on this topic, I would really like to know if there is something we should be worried about. I will keep following this thread because I admit I still don't fully understand everything, and I want to be properly educated about what we need to know.

From what i've read, this Pax Silica structure would be very huge and as of this writing they are now in the process of expelling farmers on their own land just to accommodate the structure to be build there, that is one negative impact that this project brings to the Philippines.

I'm not sure if they said is sure but the number of jobs that Pax Silica would be bring to the country is not enough to offset the negative effects it brings, the PH government said that it would bring thousands of jobs but have not released breakdown on what kind and the specific number but one thing is for sure, this project would eat too much resources which at the moment we are having problems with. Ph is one of the countries with the highest cost of electricity but wonder why they insists on bringing this project here, there must be something going on.

[Joy_learns_crypto]

The shouldn’t build this near anyone’s house, there are many health hazards this could cause and at worse could lead to numerous court cases and settlements.
This is an idea you set up in a non residential area with huge land mass.

You may think that AI will make things expensive but people like Elon Musk thinks AI will make money worthless meaning AI will be helping anyone solve problems, but Elon Musk’s predictions aren’t always correct.

[Ashawowo(OS)]

I've posted this in our local but it seems that there's not that much interest(PAX SILICA).

But what do you guys think if that demand means building a huge AI data center near your house or community?

I am in the midst of it. Can't deny the progress that this will bring to our country. But there's already the red flag that it has shown. The latest news is about this(BCDA denies forcing out farmers for US-backed Pax Silica). I don't think that the farmers are lying that they're being forced to be out of their farm lands. It's also being offered for measly P30 per square meter or $0.49 for 0.000247105 acres or P300k per 1 hectare or $4935.43 per 2.47105 acre which is a steal and cheapskate offer, an unfair deal.

PH is a small country and it has a large population which makes its land insufficient for it's people. The government would always have its way as is seen in most third world countries. It is only important that they dialogue well with the people occupying it and settle them handsomely. From what I read, they're providing another place to relocate them but we don't know how true it is because government are associated with big lies and unfulfilled promises.

Data centers would bring lots of opportunities to the country, but it would be at a very big cost to the people in terms of environmental and noise pollution. I only hope Philippines government would put in place proper healthcare and social concerns for those that would be directly affected with the environmental impacts of such big projects.

[Botnake]

From what i've read, this Pax Silica structure would be very huge and as of this writing they are now in the process of expelling farmers on their own land just to accommodate the structure to be build there, that is one negative impact that this project brings to the Philippines.

I'm not sure if they said is sure but the number of jobs that Pax Silica would be bring to the country is not enough to offset the negative effects it brings, the PH government said that it would bring thousands of jobs but have not released breakdown on what kind and the specific number but one thing is for sure, this project would eat too much resources which at the moment we are having problems with. Ph is one of the countries with the highest cost of electricity but wonder why they insists on bringing this project here, there must be something going on.

Thats bad. I remember there was also news before about the Villars allegedly removing farmers so the land could be used for subdivisions, but in the end no buyers came.

Projects like this can affect the livelihood of farmers. We are already short of rice and importing from other countries, then now another large project may take more land away from agriculture. I just hope the government makes the right decision here and balances development with protecting farmers and natural resources.

Regarding electricity, I think they are planning to use solar power, which is reasonable in the Philippines since we get plenty of sunlight.

[Alpha Marine]

As usual, the public always blows things out of proportion. AI data centers use a lot of water and electricity, but people talk like they will be the end of the world. We have governments sending bombs at each other and building weapons that can wipe out entire states, yet people are angrier about data centers.
Companies were always going to be built: energy, water and land space. It's the price we pay for development and growth. People will be using their Apple and HP laptops to condemn data centers. Isn't that funny?
I understand that things need to be regulated, but let's not act like they are the cause of all our problems. And AI are way more than a tool used to generate text.

[Spaceman1000$]

Pax Silica is an international initiative lead by the US to focus on securing the supply chain needed for AI. This initiative includes other members like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. These countries are developed countries in Asia. And just recently, it was announced that the Philippines will join this initiative.

So what does the third world country can contribute to Pax Silica?

Aside from minerals, they are planning to build an approximately 400-acre zone data center in the country. Now, it’s controversial in the country as it brings worries to people such as the land use, environment impact, especially the water and electricity it will consume. The government see this as an opportunity to bring more employment and foreign investors, However, the public contradicts to this plan as it will bring more negative impact to the environment.

Is the Philippines and the government really ready for this?

And we know how data center can impact the area where it is build, and we’ve seen it from other countries like US. Dirty water supply and water availability to the households near the area, Electricity demand, Noise pollution, Traffic and other disturbance during the construction phase, and probably much more once it started operating.

Today, we’re slowly relying more on AI with the simple things we do, so the demand for it also grows even more. But what do you guys think if that demand means building a huge AI data center near your house or community?

Code:

https://avasant.com/report/pax-silica-and-the-philippines-what-the-new-economic-security-zone-means-for-global-supply-chains/

I cannot relate with the reason why the people are worried concerning the data center that is about to be built, for a project of such magnitude, I believe they should have the capacity of generating their own electricity by using solar panels or wing power, there are alternative ways of generating electricity without polluting the environment. However a project like this will give massive employment to the locals which is why the government is endorsing it, it is not everything that will be criticized by the people, of course i understand that their opinions are to be respected but what they are giving us as reasons as to why they don't want this project to go on for me is not substantial enough.

This issues can be resolved if they people set out a resolution on how they want the place to be built so that it will not affect traffic, it will not pollute the place and it will not cause a major disturbance to the environment, they should have some level of interface to resolve these problems.

[Fortify]

Pax Silica is an international initiative lead by the US to focus on securing the supply chain needed for AI. This initiative includes other members like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. These countries are developed countries in Asia. And just recently, it was announced that the Philippines will join this initiative.

So what does the third world country can contribute to Pax Silica?

Aside from minerals, they are planning to build an approximately 400-acre zone data center in the country. Now, it’s controversial in the country as it brings worries to people such as the land use, environment impact, especially the water and electricity it will consume. The government see this as an opportunity to bring more employment and foreign investors, However, the public contradicts to this plan as it will bring more negative impact to the environment.

Is the Philippines and the government really ready for this?

And we know how data center can impact the area where it is build, and we’ve seen it from other countries like US. Dirty water supply and water availability to the households near the area, Electricity demand, Noise pollution, Traffic and other disturbance during the construction phase, and probably much more once it started operating.

Today, we’re slowly relying more on AI with the simple things we do, so the demand for it also grows even more. But what do you guys think if that demand means building a huge AI data center near your house or community?

Code:

https://avasant.com/report/pax-silica-and-the-philippines-what-the-new-economic-security-zone-means-for-global-supply-chains/

This is not the first data center and it won't be the last, but it may be one of the biggest presenting a sign of what's to come. If you think about it differently, it's surprising that more data centers are not being built in these poorer countries, but they definitely need a few ingredients which not all of them can offer. A reasonable level of security, infrastructure with a decent power source that won't cut out regularly, enough resources to build them cost effectively and that's about it. Then they can bank hard from the cheaper processing abilities and less things like environmental regulation which these companies hate. The local population cannot often put up enough of a fight if are certain officials are paid off to suppress them.

[Zlantann]

Is the Philippines and the government really ready for this?

The Philippines should have lands that are far from the city. Such uninhabited areas could be used to build these data centers, and it will not have so much impact on the population. The problem might be water, since Philippine is having a water shortage due to depleted groundwater reserves. But these data centers don't use so much water, and they can also recycle the water they use.

I don't know how many workers it will employ, but I think the Philippines needs more employment opportunities. About  2.59 million Filipinos are jobless; that's a huge amount. The government can also raise funds through taxes. Don't forget that foreign investors also promote the transfer of skills and technology. So the country could benefit in more than one way.

[blockman]

I am in the midst of it. Can't deny the progress that this will bring to our country. But there's already the red flag that it has shown. The latest news is about this(BCDA denies forcing out farmers for US-backed Pax Silica). I don't think that the farmers are lying that they're being forced to be out of their farm lands. It's also being offered for measly P30 per square meter or $0.49 for 0.000247105 acres or P300k per 1 hectare or $4935.43 per 2.47105 acre which is a steal and cheapskate offer, an unfair deal.

PH is a small country and it has a large population which makes its land insufficient for it's people. The government would always have its way as is seen in most third world countries. It is only important that they dialogue well with the people occupying it and settle them handsomely. From what I read, they're providing another place to relocate them but we don't know how true it is because government are associated with big lies and unfulfilled promises.

But that dialogue doesn't look good. If you're with the side of the ones who are in power, you'll just pull out those people and make their lands forcibly for sale to the corporations like the Pax Silica. Even if they provide for relocation, there are people there who have been born and old in the same area and they're protecting the lands like the indigenous people who are important tribes in our country.

Data centers would bring lots of opportunities to the country, but it would be at a very big cost to the people in terms of environmental and noise pollution. I only hope Philippines government would put in place proper healthcare and social concerns for those that would be directly affected with the environmental impacts of such big projects.

This is the positive of it but if this positive side has to sacrifice a lot of people and pushing them away from their lands, better to find a way to amend that or just simply find another place for the building of the project. And I haven't talked about yet the possible huge impact of it with our natural resources.

[STT]

The point about the water and power is that more is needed to be built alongside the data center, it should even be a positive in some overcapacity.  If the opposite is true and water is misused not stored and filtered for reuse, corners cut so the population suffers then no wonder such centers are seen as a negative.
  Where does the profit and revenue go, if its handled wrongly and no reinvestment occurs no sustainable capacity increase then it was built wrongly like an invasive military base rather then constructive business production.

[Faisal2202]

Aside from minerals, they are planning to build an approximately 400-acre zone data center in the country. Now, it’s controversial in the country as it brings worries to people such as the land use, environment impact, especially the water and electricity it will consume. The government see this as an opportunity to bring more employment and foreign investors, However, the public contradicts to this plan as it will bring more negative impact to the environment.

The area they are going to take is not 400 acres but it will be 4000 acres, so that's 10x what you wrote, and AI data centres are not all about AI, they serve a lot more purposes like a broader system which can involve telecommunications, advanced manufacturing, research facilities, etc.

Although your concerns for the electricity, water and other natural resources these data centres are going to consume are real and do pose a threat, our government also announced we have 1,000 MW surplus electricity but in the federal region, even if the rest of the provinces are facing load shedding, where I used to live is still facing load shedding, yet the government showed they have extra electricity that they will use for AI data centres and they have already established it. The ceremony was a few days ago, but don't know how long it will take for them to become fully operational, but so far I have not seen a single job advertisement for jobs there.

Giving jobs is just an excuse.

[LastKiss]

~snip~
Today, we’re slowly relying more on AI with the simple things we do, so the demand for it also grows even more. But what do you guys think if that demand means building a huge AI data center near your house or community?

If something like this happened where I live, like in the Philippine and it around 400 acres, I would refuse to let that facility be built near my community. It would be better if it were located far away from society. You already mentioned some of the potential impacts such as water pollution so it's understandable that local society would refuse having it built close to where they live.

I understand that if a country wants to develop sometimes we have to accept projects like this. However, it makes me sad when the government treats its own people unfairly. The government should provide fair compensation and if the project affects their houses, the government should also provide suitable replacement housing.

~snip~
Giving jobs is just an excuse.

Hahahaa, yeah once the company starts operating, local people apply for jobs there but many of them are rejected because they don't meet the company requirement. The government always talks about creating more job opportunities but they don't always consider whether local people actually have the qualification to apply the job.

[joniboini]

Hahahaa, yeah once the company starts operating, local people apply for jobs there but many of them are rejected because they don't meet the company requirement. The government always talks about creating more job opportunities but they don't always consider whether local people actually have the qualification to apply the job.

Reminds me of a popular story of a company in my country. They take a huge chunk of profit due to terrible deal with the government. Only a select residents have a job there. Other than that the locals only get the lowest paid jobs because they don't have the skills. The government spend little effort to actually improve it too, so it's just a cycle of useless complaints and whatnot. Big projects don't mean significant lifestyle improvement for the locals.

[fullfitlarry]

I would not question what Pax Silica can bring to the Philippines. Surely it can create jobs and help the country become more advanced.

My concern is the natural resources that may be damaged just to bring these big companies in. Thats also what I keep reading in many comments, especially about its possible negative impact on the environment.

So for those who are experts on this topic, I would really like to know if there is something we should be worried about. I will keep following this thread because I admit I still don't fully understand everything, and I want to be properly educated about what we need to know.

Right, this is the best question right now from those who opposes this. And there are issues like environment, electricity and even water. As we all know that Philippines used to have abundance of this natural resources, but now everything is gone.

I'm not saying that I'm against this in our country, nevertheless, the government shouldn't rush everything and there should be a good feasible study on it before they allow it and be beneficial to us.

[dansus021]

Governments often sell hyperscale data centers as massive job creators, but the reality of data center operations is different they only create temporary civil engineering and construction jobs. Data centers are heavily automated and capital-intensive, requiring relatively few permanent, full-time staff

Is the Philippines ready? Infrastructurally, no, not without strict mandate requirements on the operators. If the Philippine government allows foreign tech consortiums to build hyperscale AI centers without requiring them to Build their own renewable/dedicated energy generation, Mandate zero-water/closed-loop cooling technologies, and Pay fair localized resource taxes.

[Text]

I think this is not an opportunity for our country, I know this will not be handled properly because our government is in chaos. Our government only know to borrow money so our debt is growing and piling up. Would foreign investors would be attracted to this kind of system? That's insanity! We are worried for our countrymen. This will really consume huge amount of resources, communties will end up paying the price and suffer, we don't deserve this. We can live by food and water from natural resources, but not with data centers!