Industry & Business

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny T.D., officially opened Google’s new €150 million data centre in West Dublin today. This is Google’s second major data centre investment in Ireland, and is the newest addition to Google’s global fleet of energy-efficient cloud computing facilities.

To date Google has invested over €750 million in capital assets here, demonstrating a deep commitment to Ireland. The company employs 3,000 people directly and about 3,000 people in contracted positions bringing total employment at Google Ireland sites to 6,000 people, a 20% increase in the past year, up from 5,000 12 months ago.

An Taoiseach was joined by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor T.D. for the announcement.

Speaking at the event An Taoiseach Enda Kenny T.D., said “The opening of this new €150million data centre opens a new chapter in Google’s story in Ireland. 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 T.D., said, “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 and is a vindication of the competitive advantage we can offer high technology companies. It is also a further commendation of the skilled Irish workforce available to such companies. I want to ensure that we create a supportive environment for enterprise to develop and attracting more companies in Ireland will contribute to developing our economy as only a strong economy supporting people at work can pay for the services needed to create a fair society. The extensive Google operation in Ireland has grown very significantly in recent years and we look forward to our very successful relationship continuing to develop in the years ahead.”

He added, “Google in Dublin is a growth engine for businesses in Ireland and right across EMEA driving job creation and economic growth. Innovation has always been at the heart of what we do and our teams of analysts, data scientists and engineers are recognised experts in developing new and innovative solutions for our advertisers, publishers and users across the globe”.

The new two storey data centre which houses computers that run services such as the Google search engine, Gmail and Google Maps was built alongside Google’s existing data centre which opened in 2012. Construction of the data centre took just over one year to complete and 400 jobs were created during construction. Over a dozen specialist building and engineering companies contributed to the build and over 80% of the businesses involved were Irish. Now that it is operational, the data centre will provide employment for 30 people in a range of roles including computer technicians, electrical and mechanical engineers, catering and security staff.

The Dublin data centre uses an advanced air-cooling system to keep its computers running smoothly, taking advantage of Ireland’s naturally cool climate. As a result, the centre does not require costly and power-hungry air-conditioning units, which are still used in many traditional data centres. This enables Google to reduce significantly its energy requirements and helps maintain its global status as a carbon-neutral company. Google has been carbon neutral since 2007 and is committed to powering 100% of its operations with renewable energy sources. Compared to five years ago, Google can now get around 3.5 times the computing power out of the same amount of energy.