Facebook founder likes Clonee

FACEBOOK founder, Mark Zuckerberg, took to his own creation to announce details of his company’s new data centre in Clonee, which he describes as “one of the most advanced and energy efficient data centers in the world”. 

Facebook say the local project will bring hundreds of construction jobs, dozens of new long-term operations jobs, and hundreds of millions of euros in new investment to Ireland.

Now under construction, the Clonee data centre will be the company’s sixth globally and its second in Europe after Luleå in Sweden. It’ll also be one of the most advanced, energy-efficient facilities in the world.

“It will feature the latest server, storage and network designs developed through the Open Compute Project, and will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy,” Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook page.

“One interesting engineering detail is that we’re cooling the facility with outdoor air, but because this is near the Irish Sea we’ll be using an indirect air cooling process to filter the salt from the air.

“We’re glad to be investing in Ireland, to become a part of the Clonee community, and to continue building the massive infrastructure that connects our global community.”

Cheeky local, Kiara McFadden, who lives just two minutes from the Clonee site, asked Zuckerberg for a job and got a ‘like’ from the multi-billionaire.

Local councillor, David McGuinness (Ind), used Zuckerberg’s post to ask if his executives would be open to meeting officlas from Blanchardstown Institute of Technology and other universities to partner on creating courses to suit Facebook.

“There’s a lot of very excited people in the region,” McGuinness added.

Not all of Zuckerberg’s followers were impressed by news of the data centre, with one from Pennsylvania asking why it couldn’t be build in the US.

“We already have four major data centers in the US,” Zuckerberg replied.

“It’s helpful to also have data centers on other continents so they’re closer to the people we’re serving there.”

Data centers deliver all of Facebook’s services to users of the social media site and they’re some of the most complex buildings ever created.

Facebook’s Clonee Operations Director, Niall McEntegart, said the Clonee centre was expected to come online in late 2017 or early 2018.

News that construction on of the Clonee site is underway was welcomed by Tánaiste and Labour TD for Dublin West, Joan Burton.

“It’s great to see this major project moving ahead, now that planning permission has been secured,” she said.

“It’s a major investment on the doorstep of Dublin West that has the potential to provide a real economic benefit locally, in the same way that Facebook’s centre in Lulea in Sweden has provided a boost to that area. And it’s yet another major global company choosing to locate in and around the ‘Dublin Enterprise Zone’, as Dublin 15 is now known.”

Facebook will advertise jobs for the Clonee Data Centre online at facebook.com/careers.