President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is pushing for expanded internet access and stronger cybersecurity measures to encourage Filipinos to use digital banking and other online services.

Malacañang said the priorities were discussed during a meeting between Marcos and the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Digital Infrastructure Sector Group at Malacañan Palace on Tuesday, November 3.

The administration is seeking greater private-sector involvement in expanding internet infrastructure, particularly in remote communities where limited or unavailable connectivity restricts access to education, government services and business opportunities.

Marcos is also reviewing the progress of the Bayanihan SIM Project, which aims to provide connectivity to more Filipinos.

The government is placing emphasis on consumer protection and cybersecurity as financial transactions and commercial activities increasingly shift online. These measures are intended to help people and small businesses conduct digital banking, pay bills and sell products with greater confidence.

The administration also sees digital technology as a means of creating jobs and allowing micro, small and medium enterprises to reach wider markets without leaving their communities.

During the meeting, Marcos also reviewed private-sector proposals involving emerging industries, including the space economy, and ways to develop local talent and encourage skilled Filipino professionals to pursue careers in the country.

The government said closer cooperation with businesses would help build a more inclusive digital economy through improved connectivity, secure online services and expanded economic opportunities.

Just a few years ago, artificial intelligence seemed closer to the realm of fiction and was reserved for a few who dared to explore it. Today, it has already transcended barriers and made its way to SMBs as an accessible technology that is increasingly part of everyday life.

Most of these companies look to technology as an ally in which they must invest to grow, innovate and not be left behind. So, we can say that access is no longer the problem, giving way to a new challenge: making the right choice.

In a world of multiple options, deciding becomes more complex because not all tools respond to the needs of every SMB, nor do all investments generate the same impact on the business. Often, the difference between advancing and being left behind is not in how much is invested, but in how those decisions are made.

That choice is becoming even more important as AI itself evolves. We are moving from assistants that respond to individual prompts towards agentic AI systems that can reason, retrieve information, use tools and execute multi-step workflows. For SMBs, this creates new opportunities to automate routine work and increase what employees can accomplish, while allowing people to focus on customer relationships, creativity and higher-value decision-making.

At the same time, digital transformation continues to drive new demand: more connectivity, more data, more applications and greater demand on equipment. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in everyday work, the demands placed on computing resources will also grow. In this scenario, infrastructure, and in particular computing capacity, becomes an increasingly determining factor.

At AMD, we see this every day. That’s why we’re working to develop technologies that not only deliver high performance but also simplify decision-making. In this sense, AMD Ryzen™ AI processors mark a relevant change in how SMBs incorporate artificial intelligence into their daily operations. Integrating a neural processing unit (NPU) within the equipment allows suitable AI capabilities to run locally and efficiently on the device, without relying exclusively on the cloud. This enables features such as intelligent assistants, task automation, real-time data processing and user experience improvements, all with greater speed and efficiency.

As AI usage grows, there is also an economic dimension to that choice. Cloud AI remains an important part of the equation, but frequent AI and agentic workloads can also create recurring usage-based costs. Local AI gives SMBs another option for appropriate workloads, allowing them to consider capability, responsiveness, data control and ongoing cost when deciding where AI should run. It is not about choosing local AI over the cloud, but about having the flexibility to use each where it makes the most sense.

The impact goes beyond the technical. For SMBs, having AI-ready equipment means transforming the computer into an active ally that not only executes tasks, but also assists the user, automates processes, optimizes resources and improves decision-making. 

Instead of adding complexity, integrated artificial intelligence can simplify everyday work and boost productivity without the need for large additional investments in infrastructure. More importantly, it gives SMBs greater flexibility to adopt AI according to their own needs, resources and business priorities.

Adopting this type of technology is not only an incremental improvement, but also a strategic decision that allows SMBs to scale with greater agility and be better prepared for an increasingly competitive environment.

At the end of the day, it’s about choosing technology that accompanies growth, rather than becoming a hindrance. SMBs have already taken the first step by adopting new tools and adapting them to their needs. The challenge now is to move forward and decide how to use them to generate real value because, on this path, more than having access to everything, what really makes the difference is knowing how to choose what is needed.

Alexey Navolokin is the General Manager of AMD APAC.

VST ECS Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Jimmy Go has urged business leaders to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence, saying companies must move beyond pilot projects and integrate the technology into core operations to remain competitive.

In his welcome address for the ninth VST ECS CXO Tech Summit 2026 on October 21 held on Boracay Island, Go said AI was reshaping industries and changing how businesses operate, with applications ranging from customer service and credit scoring to demand forecasting, document processing and software development.

“2026 is the year to get results of AI,” Go said, describing the technology as a major driver of business transformation rather than simply an information technology support function.

He said companies that have moved AI applications into production were gaining advantages in efficiency, margins and scale, while warning that businesses risk falling behind if they delay adoption while waiting for technologies to become fully stable.

Go also pointed to growing demand for computing power as a major challenge for the technology sector, particularly shortages of high-bandwidth memory and server dynamic random-access memory (DRAM).

He said prices of memory and solid-state drives had more than doubled in recent months, with supply constraints expected to persist amid rising demand from artificial intelligence workloads.

Citing Micron Chief Executive Sanjay Mehrotra, Go said more than 75 percent of the company’s projected 2027 output had already been sold, with supply and demand conditions for memory and storage expected to tighten further in 2027 and 2028.

The shortages have affected several technology segments, according to Go. He said server and storage deployments had been pushed into 2027, while higher memory costs had prompted computer and smartphone manufacturers to adjust product configurations, prices and shipment targets.

Go also discussed the Philippines’ efforts to strengthen its position in the digital economy, citing policies on data sovereignty, investments in data centers and initiatives to develop local semiconductor and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

He cited the government’s updated data classification and data residency framework, as well as the reported plan by Amazon Web Services to invest $5 billion in establishing a Philippine cloud region.

Across local industries, he said manufacturers were using AI for supply chain optimization, quality control and enterprise resource planning, while financial technology companies were applying the technology to credit assessments and lending.

He also cited AI applications in business process outsourcing, healthcare, education and software development, while acknowledging persistent challenges involving infrastructure, skills shortages and organizational resistance.

Go said only 2 percent of firms had scaled AI beyond pilot projects, while connectivity gaps remained in rural areas.

He urged business leaders to strengthen partnerships among technology providers, vendors, channel partners and customers to help organizations adapt to rapid technological changes.

“Stop managing the present. Start architecting the future,” he said, calling on executives to make technology road maps central to corporate strategy and allow teams to experiment and scale successful initiatives.