THE Taoiseach Enda Kenny was on the Southside last week as he officially cut the ted tape on Google’s new €150 million data centre.
This is Google’s second major data centre investment in Ireland, and is the newest addition to their global fleet of energy-efficient cloud computing facilities.
Total employment in Google Ireland has now reached 6,000 people, a 20 per cent increase in the past 12 months
To date Google has invested over €750 million in capital assets in Ireland, a fact the company stated that demonstrates a deep commitment to the country.
The internet giant employs 3,000 people directly and about 3,000 people in contracted positions.
The Taoiseach was joined by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor to mark the occasion.
“The opening of this new €150 million data centre opens a new chapter in Google’s story in Ireland,” the Taoiseach said. “With the number of people employed by Google now surpassing 6,000, the company is a fantastic leader within Ireland’s digital community. The Government’s priority is to make Ireland a more competitive location for new investment and job creation, and the ongoing development of Ireland’s digital industry is a key part of that plan.”
Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’ Connor, added: “I am delighted to be present at Google’s latest investment project in Ireland.
“Google’s continued investment in Ireland is very welcome and this new data centre further enhances Google’s presence in Ireland. It is a vindication of the competitive advantage we can offer high technology companies.”
Ronan Harris, VP and Head of Google in Ireland, said the company had continually invested in Ireland since first arriving in 2003.
“Today’s announcement is part of Google’s plan to build the world’s most energy efficient computing network and the work of our engineering team in Dublin is central to this success,” he said.
“We now employ 6,000 people here in Ireland, both direct and contracted employees, and we’re continually hiring, with over 250 open positions currently available at our EMEA headquarters.”
Construction of the data centre took just over one year to complete and 400 jobs were created during construction.