A five-month delay and a shifting name trail the launch of government’s newest push to get small business owners using AI.
The Bottom Line
- The DTI AI and Scale-Up Center opened August 11 in Makati, five months after the Q1 2026 target DTI itself set in late 2025.
- Converge is the private infrastructure partner, not a passive sponsor. It supplies the fiber connectivity and technical backbone the center runs on, which ties MSME AI adoption directly to one telecom provider’s network footprint.
- Free access model. MSMEs and aspiring entrepreneurs can walk in without cost, a structural choice that puts pressure on DTI to prove usage numbers over time rather than revenue.
- The center’s programming, food, fashion, and apparel sectors, per earlier DTI statements, signals where government sees the most exposure to digital displacement, not where AI adoption is easiest.
- Regional expansion is the stated plan. Makati is a pilot, and how fast DTI can replicate this outside Metro Manila will say more about the initiative’s real reach than the opening itself.
DTI Opens the AI and Scale-Up Center Five Months Behind Schedule
Micro, small, and medium enterprises make up 99.5 percent of businesses in the Philippines, and most of them are still working out how to get a website running, let alone deploy AI. The DTI AI and Scale-Up Center opened August 11 at the DTI Filinvest Building in Makati to close that gap, giving small business owners free walk-in access to AI demonstrations, training, and technical guidance.
The timing is worth sitting with. DTI and Converge ICT Solutions signed the memorandum of understanding behind the center in November 2025, and at the time, Trade Assistant Secretary Nylah Rizza Bautista said the pilot site would open in the first quarter of 2026. It opened in the third quarter instead. Neither DTI nor Converge addressed the delay in launch-day statements, and no outlet covering the opening asked about it directly. For a government program built around helping small businesses move faster on digital adoption, a five-month slip on its own launch belongs in the story, not buried under quotes about empowerment.
There is also a naming inconsistency worth flagging. Early coverage in November 2025 referred to the initiative as the AI and Start-up Center. Recent launch coverage calls it the AI and Scale-Up Center, and at least one outlet used the fuller label DTI Bagong Pilipinas AI and Scale-Up Center. Whether that reflects a formal rebrand or inconsistent reporting is unclear, and DTI has not issued a statement clarifying the change.
Converge Provides the Network Behind DTI’s AI Push
The center gives MSMEs and aspiring entrepreneurs access to live AI demonstrations, accelerator pods, pitching opportunities, and training facilities, all free of charge. Converge’s role is infrastructure, not curriculum. The company provides the fiber connectivity and technical support that keep the demonstrations and training sessions running, and Converge CEO Dennis Anthony Uy framed the partnership as helping businesses move from experimentation to functional deployment.
That division of labor matters more than it sounds. DTI owns the policy framing and the public-facing mission. Converge owns the pipes. Every MSME that walks through the DTI AI and Scale-Up Center to learn AI tools is doing so on Converge’s network, inside a government building, under a government program. That is not a conflict by itself, but it does mean Converge gets brand association with national MSME policy at effectively no direct cost beyond infrastructure it likely already had capacity for.
Trade Secretary Cristina Roque tied the center to the Tatak Pinoy Strategy, the Philippine Innovation Act, and the Innovative Startup Act, framing it as a practical entry point rather than a training curriculum with fixed outcomes. DTI officials have consistently pointed to food, fashion, and apparel as priority sectors, businesses that officials describe as most exposed and least equipped to adapt to a digital shift. That targeting suggests DTI is thinking about defensive digital adoption for vulnerable sectors first, not offensive AI adoption for sectors already positioned to scale.
Regional Rollout Will Test the Program’s Reach
DTI has said the Makati site is a pilot, with more AI and Scale-Up hubs planned for the regions. That is the number to watch. A single Makati location, however well equipped, reaches a fraction of the MSME base outside Metro Manila, and regional rollout speed will be the real test of whether the DTI AI and Scale-Up Center produces measurable adoption or stays a Manila-centric showcase.
For MSME owners, the practical takeaway is straightforward. The center is free to access, walk-ins are welcome, and interested businesses can reach out through DTI’s official startup contact for reservations. Whether the program scales fast enough to matter for the businesses outside Metro Manila that need it most is the question DTI has yet to answer.
FAQ
What is the DTI AI and Scale-Up Center?
It is a free walk-in facility in Makati where MSMEs and entrepreneurs can access AI demonstrations, training, and technical support, launched by DTI in partnership with Converge ICT Solutions.
Is there a cost to use the DTI AI and Scale-Up Center?
No. Access is free for MSMEs and aspiring entrepreneurs, though reservations for specific activities can be made through DTI’s startup contact email.
Will DTI open more AI hubs outside Metro Manila?
DTI has stated regional expansion is planned, though no confirmed timeline or locations have been announced as of this writing.
The DTI AI and Scale-Up Center is located at the DTI Filinvest Building, Makati City. For reservations or inquiries, contact dtistartup@dti.gov.ph.
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