Nation

The Philippines Is Getting Its Own National AI Research Center — And It Has a Supercomputer

Tabloid PH Newsdesk

Feb 21, 2026 — 1 min read

Photo: PhilStar Tech

Move over, ChatGPT — the Philippines is building its own AI headquarters. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will formally launch the National Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Innovation, or NAICRI, on February 26. It's the country's first-ever dedicated institution for AI research, and it comes with a supercomputer.

NAICRI will be anchored at DOST's Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) and will consolidate years of scattered AI projects across government agencies. These include systems used for pandemic surveillance, climate modeling, hazard mapping, and agricultural research — all of which were developed separately but will now live under one roof.

Among NAICRI's core facilities is COARE, the country's national supercomputing facility that has seen rising demand as more agencies adopt AI-driven tools. Also integrated is PREGINET, the research and education network that connects Philippine universities and government institutions to global research systems.

The center will also house some impressively-named platforms: NAIRA (an AI-as-a-service platform for shared computing resources), DIMER (a repository of locally developed AI models), and iTANONG — a natural language search tool that works in Filipino. Imagine asking a government database a question in Tagalog and actually getting an answer. Game changer.

With NAICRI, the Philippines joins its Southeast Asian neighbors in beefing up national AI programs. The center will serve as the backbone of the country's AI roadmap, which covers talent development, research expansion, computing infrastructure, and responsible AI adoption. Hindi na tayo papahuli sa AI race.

Source: PhilStar Tech

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