In the ASEAN Chair’s Statement under the Philippines’ chairmanship of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., leaders “welcomed the 19 Priority Economic Deliverables (PEDs) under the ASEAN Chairship of the Philippines, which are designed to strengthen trade and investment linkages, accelerate digital transformation, integrate ASEAN’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) agenda, leverage the creative economy and innovation, and advance sustainable and inclusive economies, including through the responsible and strategic use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative tool for MSMEs and health services.”

The push reflects ASEAN’s growing recognition that smaller businesses — which account for about 95 percent of enterprises in the region — will play a decisive role in sustaining growth amid evolving geoeconomic tensions and supply chain shifts.

Among the key initiatives expected to be adopted is the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on AI-Powered MSME Growth, which seeks to institutionalize regional programs that would help smaller enterprises adopt AI technologies to improve productivity and competitiveness.

The Philippines also proposed the establishment of an AI MSME Hub, envisioned as a regional platform that would provide businesses with AI tools, advisory services, and capacity-building programs.

ASEAN leaders welcomed the proposal, noting that the hub could help address the region’s “sovereign compute gap” through shared industrial-scale computing resources.

The proposed hub is expected to support ASEAN’s broader push toward digital integration and innovation-led growth, while ensuring smaller enterprises are not left behind in the AI transition.

The region is likewise ramping up investments in shared digital infrastructure.

ASEAN leaders welcomed the establishment of the bloc’s first shared high-performance computing (HPC) facility, which will provide 4.2 petaflops of GPU-based computing power accessible to all member states.

The facility is expected to strengthen regional research capabilities in AI, big data analytics, and advanced scientific simulations.

Beyond business, ASEAN leaders also emphasized the importance of preparing the region’s workforce and youth for an AI-driven economy through digital literacy and education reforms.

The leaders stressed that digital transformation must remain “inclusive, responsible, and aligned with ASEAN’s shared values.”

The Philippines is also set to host the ASEAN AI Summit in September 2026, which leaders said would serve as a platform for private sector collaboration and regional partnerships to accelerate AI adoption across Southeast Asia.

ASEAN leaders said the PEDs would help steer the bloc toward “a more resilient, innovative, sustainable, and inclusive economic future,” while reinforcing the goals of the ASEAN Economic Community Strategic Plan 2026–2030.