Taoiseach opens €150m Google data centre in Dublin
Google has opened a €150m data centre in West Dublin.
It is the tech giant's second such centre in Ireland serving cloud computing.
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.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny opened the facility and heard that Google now employs 6,000 people here up from 5,000 a year ago.
Speaking at the event An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD said "The opening of this new €150 million 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 TD also attended the opening. “"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.”
Ronan Harris, VP and Head of Google in Ireland, said: “Google has continually invested in Ireland since we first arrived here 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.
Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland welcomed the new centre saying, “Google started out with modest plans for Dublin when it first landed here back in 2003. It is now one of the largest employers in Ireland, making a significant contribution to the economy.
