As Asia’s appetite for data intensifies, the global infrastructure firm makes a significant investment in Philippine talent to support the region’s digital growth.
Vertiv, a multinational leader in critical digital infrastructure, recently launched the Vertiv Academy in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila. The facility is designed to serve as a regional hub for developing technical expertise in power and cooling solutions that keep data centers, telecom networks, and enterprise IT systems running.
“The engineers coming out of the schools here have the passion, the capability, and the hunger to build,” said Paul Churchill, President and General Manager of Vertiv Asia. “When this facility was getting established, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to leverage that.”
Initially established as a 120-square-meter replica of Vertiv’s Singapore lab, the facility has evolved into a full-scale academy and engineering center. For more than 15 years, Vertiv has operated its Asia-wide technical support from the Philippines, and the new academy signals an expansion of that commitment, with a broader vision to develop a globally competitive digital infrastructure workforce.
Vertiv Academy offers hands-on training using live equipment across Vertiv’s portfolio of products and systems. Its curriculum, developed by Vertiv’s Global Learning Center of Excellence, includes a combination of online pre-learning modules, interactive classroom sessions, and structured field training. Courses are led by certified technical instructors and tailored to both local and regional demands.
While the facility is based in Manila, its impact is intended to reach far beyond the country. Engineers, channel partners, and young professionals across Asia are expected to train at the academy, preparing for roles in the rapidly growing digital landscape.
Adjacent to the training hub is the newly opened Vertiv Customer Experience Center, an interactive showroom that allows visitors to explore the company’s scalable and sustainable solutions through live demonstrations and expert consultations. The center is part of a broader regional strategy to deepen customer engagement and showcase innovation at the point of exploration and purchase.
AI at the center
As demand for Artificial Intelligence processing power accelerates, new data center models are emerging that require higher power capacity while dramatically increasing processing efficiency. Vertiv is positioning itself to support this transformation by training engineers who can design, deploy, and maintain the infrastructure needed to support AI workloads.
In parallel, Vertiv is already building partnerships with universities such as National University (NU) to integrate data center concepts into electrical and mechanical engineering programs. “The goal is to expose students early to critical technologies and build academic pipelines that supply fresh talent into the field and bring in new ideas,” mentioned Andrew Whall, Vice President for Asia and General Manager for Vertiv ANZ.
Much of Vertiv’s local investments reflect a long-term strategy focused on people. And it’s a great step that the country, once seen primarily as a back-office support hub, is now playing a more central role in the global digital ecosystem.
“We have always seen the Philippines as a workforce for the region,” Churchill said. “Now, it is a leader.”
