Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp. plans to expand its hard disk drive (HDD) manufacturing in the Philippines, a project that could bring about 3,000 more jobs, according to Malacañang. Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said in a statement on Saturday that the government backed the plan when he met Toshiba senior executive vice president Koji Ikeya at the palace on Thursday.
The demand behind the expansion comes from data centers. Toshiba Information Equipment (Philippines) Inc., the manufacturing arm of Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corp., recently started producing high-capacity HDDs for data centers at its plant in Laguna Technopark. The company, which marked 30 years in the country on Saturday, said it is adding local capacity to keep up with global demand for storage driven by artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
Toshiba’s target is to nearly double its annual Philippine output by fiscal year 2027 compared with fiscal year 2025, measured by storage capacity. Ikeya told officials the Philippines is strategically important to the company’s global operations. Toshiba listed the country’s established manufacturing base, skilled workers, existing production sites, and government support as reasons it wants to grow its footprint there.
Recto called the plan a “vote of confidence for the Philippines” and said the government is prepared to help Toshiba and other large investors turn expansion plans into new factories and better-paying jobs. He described it as the kind of investment the administration wants, one that brings in technology, widens the manufacturing base, and gives the country a bigger part in global supply chains. “We are rooting for you,” he told the Toshiba team.
The Marcos administration is courting high-tech manufacturers as it tries to position the Philippines as a center for advanced manufacturing and industries that support AI. Recto pointed to the Luzon Economic Corridor as one route for that push. The corridor links Subic Bay, Clark, Metro Manila, and Batangas, and focuses on transport, energy, digital infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing.
