The US and the Philippines are moving "very, very quickly" on a planned artificial intelligence and supply chain hub in the Southeast Asian nation, a top US official said. Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg visited the proposed 4,000-acre (1,618-hectare) site in New Clark City on Monday with more than a dozen American companies, the first high-level inspection of land intended to become the inaugural "AI-native industrial acceleration hub" under the Pax Silica initiative. New Clark City, Tarlac has been selected as the site for a 4,000-acre technology economic zone in efforts to rewire global supply chains away from Chinese dominance.
Under Secretary Helberg today announced the United States' and the Philippines' plans to establish a 4,000-acre industrial hub to secure inputs vital to American and global supply chains. The site—the first of its kind—is being offered by the Philippines as an Economic Security Zone, to surge production for inputs vital to US supply chains and serve as a staging point for a purpose-built platform for allied manufacturing. In 2024, the Philippines accounted for 25.41 percent of global nickel exports, while Philippine mineral exports rose from US$6.20 billion in 2024 to US$7.62 billion in 2025. The Philippines holds significant reserves of nickel, copper, chromite, and cobalt—minerals increasingly vital to global supply chains.
The Philippines joined Pax Silica in April as the alliance's 13th member, alongside Australia, Finland, India, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. The Bases Conversion and Development Authority, which manages the former US military base at Clark, has allocated a 1,618-hectare parcel within New Clark City for the project, and the State Department has designated it a "Golden Node," a term for AI-native investment acceleration hubs. The Philippines is looking to break ground for its AI-native industrial hub in two years; BCDA President Joshua M. Bingcang said, "Within the first 2 years, we will be able to at least break ground the first phase of development." Net US FDI inflows reached US$162.9 million from January to October 2025, a 91 percent year-on-year increase.
The Philippines rejected a US request for diplomatic immunity at the facility. Undersecretary Helberg told the Wall Street Journal: "The current geography of the global supply chain is completely unsustainable. If you look at the whole supply chain stack, layer after layer, it is totally dominated by China." BCDA President Bingcang said, "We will put the Philippines at the center of the global AI supply chain, not at its edges. The 4,000-acre AI-native industrial acceleration hub in the Luzon Economic Corridor is a statement of where this nation is headed: toward AI, toward advanced manufacturing, toward genuine economic sovereignty."
Note: This summary draws on SupplyChainBrain's publicly visible headline + subhead + opening paragraph and on sector background on US-Philippines supply chain cooperation.
Key Takeaways:
1. The US and Philippines plan to break ground within two years on a 4,000-acre (1,618-hectare) AI and supply chain hub in New Clark City.
2. The hub under the Pax Silica initiative aims to rewire global supply chains away from Chinese dominance.
3. The Philippines accounted for 25.41% of global nickel exports in 2024, with mineral exports reaching $7.62 billion in 2025.
4. US foreign direct investment into the Philippines surged 91% year-on-year to $162.9 million from January to October 2025.
5. The Philippines rejected a US request for diplomatic immunity at the facility, maintaining sovereignty emphasis.
