Skip to main content
Technology advances at such dizzying speed that nothing stays the same for very long, but one constant remains amid the change: Ireland continues to be an extraordinary place for global technology companies to set up strategic operations.
The proof is in the presence of 13 of the top 20 global technology companies, 15 of the 30 top semiconductor companies, and eight of the top 10 US software providers. Familiar names found in Ireland include Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Dell Technologies, HP, IBM, Intel, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, Qualcomm, Salesforce, SAP and many others.
Ireland has been able to attract and keep these companies by adapting as the industry does. Microsoft’s story in Ireland is a microcosm of this continual reinvention. When the software company first set up its Irish operations in 1985, it manufactured physical discs for distributing its products. Later on, as the internet became the delivery system of choice, Ireland pivoted, adding the connectivity that would enable Microsoft to locate its first European data centre in the country.
And the evolution has continued: in November 2024, Microsoft announced a new strategic investment to create 550 new Irish-based engineering and R&D roles in areas like AI and cybersecurity. Between Microsoft’s own operations and its subsidiary LinkedIn, the company employs close to 6,800 people in Ireland.
Four decades is a long time, but even then Microsoft was following an established path: back in 1956, IBM opened its office here; Ericsson followed soon after, and then HP, Analog Devices and others arrived in the 1970s. Many are still here, and have followed evolutionary paths so their operations look very different now compared to before: these days, they often carry out high-value, strategic work for the parent company.
This progress is the product of Ireland’s careful planning, analysis of industry developments and watchful attention to the trends coming next. Next, it’s about proving the country can deliver: giving investors the confidence that new projects will be similarly successful.
That confidence is founded on many factors that, together, make Ireland a magnet for global technology investment. Executives across the technology spectrum talk about talent availability, and with good reason. The country’s highly educated tech workforce is a big attraction for AI companies in Ireland.
Bloomberg LLC founder and former Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg recently wrote: “While some US and European critics focus on its tax rate, here’s a stat that doesn’t get enough attention: nearly 40 percent of Ireland’s undergraduates pursue purse degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math [STEM]. Per capita, Ireland has the highest STEM graduation rate in the EU. And Irish 15-year-olds outperform their EU peers in math, reading, and science. All that skilled talent – more than any tax rate or regulatory decision – is why chief executives are turning to Ireland.”
Talent is the common denominator no matter the size of company, especially as Ireland’s technology landscape has broadened beyond the established industry names. Growing numbers of early-stage companies find Ireland offers the ideal environment to scale from. “We have a talent pool that allows us to serve a large population in a very effective way, both with language and specialisation skills like sales or customer success,” said Paulo Rodriguez, head of international at Vanta, a cybersecurity and compliance startup that was founded in 2018 and chose Ireland as its European headquarters just four years later.
Rodriguez already worked at tech multinationals like Google and Dropbox in Ireland before switching to Vanta, and he was instrumental in arguing for Dublin as the European base. “English is the native language so if it’s a US or international company, it makes everything incredibly easy,” he said. Since Brexit, Ireland is the primary English-speaking country within the European Union.
It might seem counterintuitive, but many companies here find that the close clustering of so many other tech companies in Ireland is a help, not a hindrance. They find it’s easier to hire high-quality staff for all levels of the business, because many of them have already accumulated valuable experience working in other internationally focused operations. “That really accelerates our ability to identify and hire the talent, bring them into the business and get them to a point of productivity very, very quickly. You don’t get that in other places,” said Eoin Hallahan, director of EMEA and LATAM sales at Supermetrics.
Another reason for companies to base themselves in Ireland is proximity to world-class research centres that are investigating and innovating many technology fields including hardware, software, analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). LERO, at the University of Limerick, is among the world’s most highly regarded software research centres, focused on sectors including connected autonomous vehicles, health, wellbeing and human performance.
For almost 10 years, it has partnered with Logitech G, which also has a longstanding operation in Ireland, to deepen its understanding of a vital customer group: computer gamers. “Lero are the best in the business at this type of software research, and the outputs from this project will help us design and create new gaming products for augmenting gaming performance,” said Logitech gaming innovation engineer Niall White.
At a national policy level, Ireland has identified AI as a strategically important area of focus, and on the ground, the country has already welcomed some of the leading names in this fast-growing field including OpenAI and Anthropic. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, recently described itself as “intoxicated” by the talent in Ireland.
That’s due to a legacy of more than two decades working on many of the foundational elements of AI, like data analytics, natural language processing, and machine learning. As a result, Ireland has built up one of the highest EurAI fellows per capita, an accolade granted by the European Association of Artificial Intelligence. Cutting-edge research centres like CeADAR, Insight and ADAPT engage in collaborative projects with industry partners including many technology multinationals.
Another key element powering AI is semiconductors, and once more, Ireland finds itself in a strong position, built up over decades. Intel’s campus in county Kildare has seen $30 billion of continued investment dating back to 1989, and it’s now one of the world’s largest semiconductor production sites. Its Fab 34 facility is one of the largest and most advanced semiconductor operations in Europe.
Leading global chip design companies all have significant operations in Ireland. In the past two years, investments by AMD, Analog Devices, Infineon and Qualcomm have led to 1,140 highly skilled new jobs in manufacturing and R&D, at a combined investment nearing €1 billion.
Another related technology discipline is cybersecurity, and Ireland has assembled a cluster of pure-play cybersecurity companies together with a growing domestic industry. At a global level, the sector is experiencing a long-standing skills shortage, and Ireland recently drew praise for its efforts to address this. Forbes reported on the move by the Irish Universities Association in 2020 to develop a national framework for micro-credentials, which contributed to nearly a 20% reduction in Ireland’s cybersecurity workforce shortage in just one year by investing in this kind of practical education. “These short, targeted learning modules are backed by national funding and designed in collaboration with the industry,” Forbes wrote.
This advancement has led companies in fields like financial services and life sciences to set up dedicated cybersecurity teams in Ireland. State Street has a global cybersecurity centre at its office in Kilkenny, one of only two such global centres for the company, which gives round-the-clock protection to over 200 markets outside the USA. “The rationale for selecting Ireland was the time zone advantage into Europe – APAC can be covered from here – and the wider infrastructure and skills availability and openness to develop and grow a team from here,” said Terri Dempsey, CEO and country head of State Street Ireland.
No matter a company’s size or stage of growth, Ireland offers technology businesses an established, stable, strategic location for key operations. Its business-friendly environment, quality and depth of talent, EU market participation, and institutional supports combine into a powerful force for attracting new technology investments or encouraging companies to expand their operations.
The proof is in the presence of 13 of the top 20 global technology companies, 15 of the 30 top semiconductor companies, and eight of the top 10 US software providers. Familiar names found in Ireland include Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Dell Technologies, HP, IBM, Intel, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, Qualcomm, Salesforce, SAP and many others.
Ireland has been able to attract and keep these companies by adapting as the industry does. Microsoft’s story in Ireland is a microcosm of this continual reinvention. When the software company first set up its Irish operations in 1985, it manufactured physical discs for distributing its products. Later on, as the internet became the delivery system of choice, Ireland pivoted, adding the connectivity that would enable Microsoft to locate its first European data centre in the country.
And the evolution has continued: in November 2024, Microsoft announced a new strategic investment to create 550 new Irish-based engineering and R&D roles in areas like AI and cybersecurity. Between Microsoft’s own operations and its subsidiary LinkedIn, the company employs close to 6,800 people in Ireland.
Four decades is a long time, but even then Microsoft was following an established path: back in 1956, IBM opened its office here; Ericsson followed soon after, and then HP, Analog Devices and others arrived in the 1970s. Many are still here, and have followed evolutionary paths so their operations look very different now compared to before: these days, they often carry out high-value, strategic work for the parent company.
This progress is the product of Ireland’s careful planning, analysis of industry developments and watchful attention to the trends coming next. Next, it’s about proving the country can deliver: giving investors the confidence that new projects will be similarly successful.
That confidence is founded on many factors that, together, make Ireland a magnet for global technology investment. Executives across the technology spectrum talk about talent availability, and with good reason. The country’s highly educated tech workforce is a big attraction for AI companies in Ireland.
Bloomberg LLC founder and former Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg recently wrote: “While some US and European critics focus on its tax rate, here’s a stat that doesn’t get enough attention: nearly 40 percent of Ireland’s undergraduates pursue purse degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math [STEM]. Per capita, Ireland has the highest STEM graduation rate in the EU. And Irish 15-year-olds outperform their EU peers in math, reading, and science. All that skilled talent – more than any tax rate or regulatory decision – is why chief executives are turning to Ireland.”
Talent is the common denominator no matter the size of company, especially as Ireland’s technology landscape has broadened beyond the established industry names. Growing numbers of early-stage companies find Ireland offers the ideal environment to scale from. “We have a talent pool that allows us to serve a large population in a very effective way, both with language and specialisation skills like sales or customer success,” said Paulo Rodriguez, head of international at Vanta, a cybersecurity and compliance startup that was founded in 2018 and chose Ireland as its European headquarters just four years later.
Rodriguez already worked at tech multinationals like Google and Dropbox in Ireland before switching to Vanta, and he was instrumental in arguing for Dublin as the European base. “English is the native language so if it’s a US or international company, it makes everything incredibly easy,” he said. Since Brexit, Ireland is the primary English-speaking country within the European Union.
It might seem counterintuitive, but many companies here find that the close clustering of so many other tech companies in Ireland is a help, not a hindrance. They find it’s easier to hire high-quality staff for all levels of the business, because many of them have already accumulated valuable experience working in other internationally focused operations. “That really accelerates our ability to identify and hire the talent, bring them into the business and get them to a point of productivity very, very quickly. You don’t get that in other places,” said Eoin Hallahan, director of EMEA and LATAM sales at Supermetrics.
Another reason for companies to base themselves in Ireland is proximity to world-class research centres that are investigating and innovating many technology fields including hardware, software, analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). LERO, at the University of Limerick, is among the world’s most highly regarded software research centres, focused on sectors including connected autonomous vehicles, health, wellbeing and human performance.
For almost 10 years, it has partnered with Logitech G, which also has a longstanding operation in Ireland, to deepen its understanding of a vital customer group: computer gamers. “Lero are the best in the business at this type of software research, and the outputs from this project will help us design and create new gaming products for augmenting gaming performance,” said Logitech gaming innovation engineer Niall White.
At a national policy level, Ireland has identified AI as a strategically important area of focus, and on the ground, the country has already welcomed some of the leading names in this fast-growing field including OpenAI and Anthropic. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, recently described itself as “intoxicated” by the talent in Ireland.
That’s due to a legacy of more than two decades working on many of the foundational elements of AI, like data analytics, natural language processing, and machine learning. As a result, Ireland has built up one of the highest EurAI fellows per capita, an accolade granted by the European Association of Artificial Intelligence. Cutting-edge research centres like CeADAR, Insight and ADAPT engage in collaborative projects with industry partners including many technology multinationals.
Another key element powering AI is semiconductors, and once more, Ireland finds itself in a strong position, built up over decades. Intel’s campus in county Kildare has seen $30 billion of continued investment dating back to 1989, and it’s now one of the world’s largest semiconductor production sites. Its Fab 34 facility is one of the largest and most advanced semiconductor operations in Europe.
Leading global chip design companies all have significant operations in Ireland. In the past two years, investments by AMD, Analog Devices, Infineon and Qualcomm have led to 1,140 highly skilled new jobs in manufacturing and R&D, at a combined investment nearing €1 billion.
Another related technology discipline is cybersecurity, and Ireland has assembled a cluster of pure-play cybersecurity companies together with a growing domestic industry. At a global level, the sector is experiencing a long-standing skills shortage, and Ireland recently drew praise for its efforts to address this. Forbes reported on the move by the Irish Universities Association in 2020 to develop a national framework for micro-credentials, which contributed to nearly a 20% reduction in Ireland’s cybersecurity workforce shortage in just one year by investing in this kind of practical education. “These short, targeted learning modules are backed by national funding and designed in collaboration with the industry,” Forbes wrote.
This advancement has led companies in fields like financial services and life sciences to set up dedicated cybersecurity teams in Ireland. State Street has a global cybersecurity centre at its office in Kilkenny, one of only two such global centres for the company, which gives round-the-clock protection to over 200 markets outside the USA. “The rationale for selecting Ireland was the time zone advantage into Europe – APAC can be covered from here – and the wider infrastructure and skills availability and openness to develop and grow a team from here,” said Terri Dempsey, CEO and country head of State Street Ireland.
No matter a company’s size or stage of growth, Ireland offers technology businesses an established, stable, strategic location for key operations. Its business-friendly environment, quality and depth of talent, EU market participation, and institutional supports combine into a powerful force for attracting new technology investments or encouraging companies to expand their operations.
