New Microsoft building marks important milestone

AOISEACH Leo Varadkar was on the Southside last week when he attended the official opening of the Microsoft Corporation’s new 34,000sqm campus, One Microsoft Place, in Leopardstown.

Over 2,000 people with a broad range of skills and 71 different nationalities will be accommodated under one roof in the Southside facility.

It is also envisaged that DreamSpace, an innovation and education hub at the heart of the campus, will host and inspire 100,000 primary and TY students over the next four years.

Mr Vardakar was joined by Peggy Johnson, Executive Vice President of Microsoft Corporation; Cathriona Hallahan, the MD of Microsoft Ireland and Martin Shanahan, the CEO of IDA Ireland at the official opening of the company’s €134m campus.

The building marks an important milestone in the company’s ongoing cultural transformation.

The new campus provides an environment that will drive further innovation and creativity by the Microsoft team on behalf of businesses, governments, non-profit organisations and society as a whole.

The building design has led to the creation of ‘neighbourhoods’, numerous open spaces and relaxation zones all of which provide opportunities for people to work, think, create and problem solve together. 

This is central to the company’s continued cultural change programme which, under CEO, Satya Nadella, aims to bring everyone in the company together to work on a common mission.

Mr Varadkar described the opening of this campus  as a “landmark day for Microsoft,” which first came to Ireland 33 years ago.

“This is testament to the calibre of our tech talent who have contributed so positively to Microsoft’s global growth,” he said.

“As a flagship multinational investor, Microsoft has strongly endorsed Ireland as an investment location for the world’s top tech firms.

“We are aiming to be a European leader in STEM education by 2026 and our enterprise policy is based around supporting research and innovation.

“Ireland is now ranked 10th globally for the overall quality of its scientific research, an increase of 26 places in 13 years. With this focused and ambitious approach, I believe we can make Dublin the tech capital of Europe.”

Peggy Johnson, Executive Vice President, Microsoft, added: “Technology is rapidly changing how we live, work and play and Microsoft is a major force in driving this change. Working together as One Microsoft we are bringing our talents together to achieve more – for our customers, our partners and our own employees.

“This wonderful new building creates the opportunity for the Irish based team to do more together by facilitating development, innovation and creativity.

“Our Data Scientists, AI Bot builders and Mixed Reality Game developers will work alongside our sales and marketing professionals to help bring the benefits of digital transformation to our customers, helping them to achieve more.” 

As part of last week’s celebrations, Cathriona Hallahan, the MD of Microsoft Ireland, detailed the local ambition that the Irish team has set itself.

“As a team, we have the opportunity – and the responsibility – to educate and inform people and organisations about the greater impact they can have if they embrace digital transformation,” she said.

“Importantly, we have a responsibility to equip young people in Ireland with the skills and ambition they need to imagine, create and navigate their own future.

The cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Cllr Tom Murphy said also welcomed Microsoft's €134 million investment in the new campus.

“This fantastic new facility, which will accommodate over 2,000 employees, underpins their commitment to doing business in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown,” he said.

“We look forward to working with them in the future."