16th June 2016
- Total employment in Google Ireland reaches 6,000 people, a 20% ncrease in the past 12 months
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 €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 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."
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. 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. As Google grows globally, Ireland will continue to benefit from that growth.”
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.
Google Engineering Lead, Ireland, Terence MacGoff added, “Our 400+-strong engineering team in Ireland have pioneered ‘site reliability engineering’ or SRE, which means developing, building, deploying and maintaining some of the largest software systems in the world. This work is what makes it possible for Google Search to deliver thousands of results in an instant; it is what enables millions of Gmails to be sent every second of every day and allows 400 hours of video content to be uploaded seamlessly to YouTube every minute. We're proud of that fact and are constantly innovating with our customers in mind.”
Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland welcomed the announcement 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. Google’s ability to build its business across a number of highly skilled functions and to increase its talented team of Googlers year on year is a great testament to the business environment and skills available in Ireland.”
-Ends-
For media queries contact:
Céline Crawford, Google Press Office celine@mkc.ie or press-ie@google.com 086 8235777
Laurie Mannix, Google Press Office laurie@mkc.ie 086 81437103
Notes to the Editor
● Google now employs 6,000 employees in Ireland, 3,000 direct employees and 3,000 full
time contractors. Google is continually hiring and currently has 250 open positions at its
EMEA HQ http://www.google.ie/about/careers/locations/dublin/
- Google’s cloud empowers millions of businesses to be more sustainable. Providing one month of Google services to an active user emits less carbon than driving a car one mile.
- Google data centers can utilize computing resources much more efficiently than local servers: an independent analysis found that a typical organization would save over 80% in energy use migrating to the cloud.
- In 2010 Google began buying renewable energy at scale. Today Google is the largest corporate renewable energy purchaser in the world.
- Through grant-making and local initiatives, Google is also working to help businesses, schools and non-profits in the data center community thrive. For example, local community groups, NGOs and schools in Tallaght and Clondalkin can apply for grants annually through the Dublin data center website.
- Community grants: Google provides community grants to local NGOs for projects that focus on:
Boosting science and technology education.
Improving the environment, with an emphasis on reducing carbon in the atmosphere through conservation and renewable energy.
Bringing local culture online.
Providing access to the Internet.
The grants aim to support building new, lasting capacity for an organisation and expect the activities to continue into the future without additional funding. Google community grants range from €10,000 to €50,000, and are intended for non-profit and certain public submit a proposal through our online application.
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