Converge eyes gold standard in new data centers

(From left) Chief Network Transformation Officer Paulo Martin ‘Santi’ Santos, Converge CEO and Co-Founder Dennis Anthony Uy and Data Center Manager Miguel B. Gile III inspect the construction site of the Caloocan facility. 

Leading fiber broadband and technology services provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. is set to create the best-in-class data centers in the Philippines, eyeing to claim the highest certification in data center performance, complementing its redundancy with AI-ready servers, as well as promoting sustainability with its liquid cooling solution. 

Converge has started construction for two new data centers located in Metro Manila and Pampanga with a combined 1,500 racks that are set to open by next year to serve its increasing enterprise customer base and demand for bandwidth-heavy applications by its broadband subscribers.

“This future-proofing investment is in anticipation of the massive demand in the coming years for more data-intensive applications in gaming, fintech, OTT, public services, and more,” said Converge CEO and Co-Founder Dennis Anthony Uy. 

Converge Chief Network Transformation Officer Paulo Martin Santos shares that both data centers are aiming to achieve Uptime Institute Tier III certification. 

The data center business of Converge is a promising new vertical for the company as forthcoming services of the company may be cloud-based solutions.

“With a Tier III data center, each and every capacity component and distribution path in a site can be removed on a planned basis for concurrent maintenance or replacement without impacting operations,” said Santos. 

Converge is aiming for a Tier III Certification for both design and facility (lifetime certificate). “More so, future proofing our DCs, we are also exploring liquid cooling solutions for high density computing AI Graphic Processing Units (GPUs),” added Santos.

“Part of our promise is to have the best fiber network and infrastructure in the Philippines; staying true to this promise, we are investing in the best possible network architecture and that’s why we’ve been partnering with world-class technology partners - to supply the best equipment and solutions to our data centers,” added Uy. 

Among these recent partners is global tech giant Super Micro Computer Inc. which will provide rack-scale liquid-cooling solutions. This means these servers are ready to take on large-scale AI workloads which generate immense heat and which often present a risk to the longevity of data center equipment. 

Lastly, what the two anticipated data centers of Converge offer is a feature most potential clients look for when migrating their systems to the cloud: redundancy. 

Converge has started construction for two new data centers located in Metro Manila and Pampanga with a combined 1,500 racks. Both sites are set to open by 2025.

Site redundancy means having a computing architecture that creates a complete duplicate of computers and data at a location away from the main location. With Converge interconnecting the two data centers, businesses that locate their system in Angeles, for example, may expect their operations to continue should their main location go down because a duplicate of their system was made in the data center in Caloocan.  

Ultimately, these two data centers will serve as a springboard for more Converge services and not just for the use of third-party enterprises. 

“The main agenda is to go beyond connectivity. Like what we’ve been saying, we’re not just a fiber broadband company - we are a technology company and having this much capacity in our data centers, outfitted with the latest technology, means we can offer more services to Philippine businesses,” said Uy.

Nestlé Philippines and Quezon City Local Government kick off family-centric festival in QC

Experts share nutrition, wellness tips to thousands of Filipinos for a healthy, happy life

Nestlé Philippines, the Kasambuhay for Good and family wellness partner of Filipinos, kicked off its Family Wellness Festival at the Quezon Memorial Circle intending to educate thousands of families about good nutrition for a healthier, happier life. The whole-day festival is expected to welcome 4,000 QCitizens and residents from nearby cities who pre-registered online at Barangaynestle.com.ph

The Family Wellness Festival is a fun, family-centric event and is one of Nestlé Philippines’ activities to mark Nutrition Month this July. In support of this year’s theme, “Healthy diet gawing affordable for all,” Nestlé Philippines remains committed to making good nutrition affordable and accessible with siksik sa sustansiya at abot-kayang food and beverage products that are fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for every member of the family. 

In addition, the festival focuses on the sharing of health and wellness learnings and tips that Filipinos can easily apply and practice at home. Different members of the family joined the fun games and exciting activities.

What’s more, festival-goers were able to avail of personalized nutrition consultations from Registered Nutritionists-Dietitians for free. They also received freebies by exchanging empty sachets and tetra packs of Nestlé products during the event. This is in line with the company’s 3Rs advocacy to engage more Filipinos to Reuse, Reduce and Recycle plastic waste and become part of the movement for environmental sustainability. Aside from promos and discounts, Nestlé products and special prizes were raffled off throughout the day.

“We at Nestlé Philippines believe that good nutrition starts at home. We are bringing the Family Wellness Festival closer to communities as we strive to provide QCitizens with the right information and tips that can help them improve their health and wellness,” said Joey Uy III, Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs of Nestlé Philippine

Quezon City officials together with Nestlé Philippines officially opened the start of the Family Wellness Festival via a ribbon-cutting ceremony

Partnering with organizations that share similar goals as their ongoing nutrition programs will better inform and encourage QCitizens to prioritize their family’s well-being.

"We strive to provide our QCitizens all the support they need to have a  healthy mind and body to make them productive, free from ailments, and able to live longer. Karapatan ng bawat mamamayan ang mabuting kalusugan. But the local government cannot do it alone. We need the support of the private sector to augment our efforts," Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

Insights on nutrition, urban gardening, 3Rs

Nestlé Philippines invited experts from its partner organizations to share their insights on key topics that touch on the overall wellness of individuals, families, and the planet. The Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) talked about its latest research on the state of nutrition of Filipinos, while the Department of Agriculture shared tips on starting your own veggie garden based on its Food Always in the Home (FAITH) program. This was followed by a cooking demo to further promote sarap-sustansya meals for the family. A representative from the non-profit organization Pure Oceans then gave a talk, together with a representative from GMA Sparkle, about caring for the environment and how our collective action as its stewards can make a positive impact on the wellness of our planet.  

As the wellness partner of Filipino families, Nestlé Philippines will also be bringing the Family Wellness Festival to Makati City and Caloocan City in August to help educate thousands more. Pre-registration is now open via Barangaynestle.com.ph for these next two festivals.