Dearth of AI infrastructure constrains PH businesses
Local enterprises lack artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, hindering their deployment of advanced technology needed to improve operations, according to global tech company Cisco.
Cisco Philippines managing director Zaza Soriano-Nicart, in a statement on Monday, said the “primary challenge remains infrastructure readiness, with gaps in compute, data center network performance and cybersecurity, amongst other areas.”
She noted that only about one-fifth of the Philippine enterprises have the GPUs (graphics processing units) that could handle AI workload.
GPUs are used to process large data sets, which are necessary when harnessing AI potential.
In addition, only 45 percent are equipped with the cybersecurity measures to protect the data in their AI models, Soriano-Nicart said.
Beefing up the firewalls is seen as a must as the attack surface widens due to digitalization. “As more devices and services get connected, the risk and sophistication of attacks become greater,” the Cisco official said.
Apart from the typical phishing attacks that seek to steal sensitive information, she explained that hackers were also targeting supply chains.
Cybercriminals launch their digital attacks against suppliers who have a substantial amount of customer data, which are deemed valuable.
In relation to this, cybersecurity firm Check Point, in its “Cybersecurity Predictions 2025” report, warned Philippine enterprises against the further proliferation of digital attacks backed by AI.
The AI-supported threats include phishing emails that are crafted with “flawless grammar,” making them more deceiving in the eyes of the recipients.
Check Point noted that a typical enterprise in the Philippines deals with 4,003 cyberattacks per week, higher than the Asia Pacific region’s average of 2,870.
At the same time, Cisco stressed that AI could be used to strengthen cybersecurity measures.
