More than 20 companies, including the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, Foxconn, have expressed interest in investing in the proposed 4,000-hectare AI Innovation Hub in Clark — the centerpiece of the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative in the Luzon Economic Corridor.
This was revealed on May 18 during the high-level visit of U.S. Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg to New Clark City for an ocular inspection of the proposed AI Innovation Hub site.
In a chance interview, Undersecretary Helberg said he was accompanied by representatives from more than a dozen major U.S. firms, many of whom decided to join the visit despite the short notice.
“Every single company who’s here is interested in potentially being a part of this historic effort. I mean, everything. We have over a dozen companies that are here with us. Several of them are over a billion dollar companies, and the amount of excitement, and this was just, you know, these dozen companies are just the companies who were able to come on such short notice. We actually have a very much longer list of companies who are interested in coming, who simply weren’t able to make this trip work, but who are planning on coming out,” he said.
He described the visiting business delegation as “part of an industrial ecosystem … a lot of it focuses on sectors adjacent to manufacturing.”
Although still in its early stages, Helberg said sectors to be prioritized would depend on the anchor tenants that will help build an ecosystem aligned with the AI hub’s high-tech and green tech development ambitions.
In a separate interview, Trade and Industry Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo said at least 10 foreign firms are already in contact with the Board of Investments, where he is managing head, regarding opportunities linked to the Luzon Economic Corridor development.
According to Rodolfo, the first five companies expressed interest immediately after both sides announced the signing of the Pax Silica Declaration in Washington, D.C. last month, April.
An official also confirmed that Foxconn was represented by a high-ranking executive in Helberg’s business delegation.
Foxconn is the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer, producing an estimated 40 percent of global consumer electronics. The Taiwanese multinational is best known as a major assembly partner for Apple’s iPhones, but it also serves as a critical supplier for leading technology companies including Google, Dell, Intel, and Nvidia.
Timeline
Undersecretary Helberg declined to provide a specific timeline for the project or indicate when development activities would begin at the 4,000-hectare site, but emphasized that implementation is moving quickly.
“I can say that we’re gonna move very, very fast. I think we will definitely, we will work, we’ll definitely have commenced by next year, but, you know, the work will start in phases. There are technical surveys that need to be done on the topography of the land,” he said.
“Obviously, we need to conclude the agreement. So, I’m not gonna put, you know, specific timelines and milestones just yet. But all I can say is, so far, focus has been on speed, and we’re gonna continue executing against that. This agreement came together in record time, and under a month, and we expect to continue moving at a similar pace.”
