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Microsoft's premises at Sandyford industrial estate: the software giant is expanding its data centre in Dublin, creating 400 construction jobs. Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Microsoft to create 400 construction jobs with new Dublin data centre

Microsoft is investing just under €100m in an expansion of its data centre in Clondalkin, with 400 construction jobs for 12 months.

MICROSOFT HAS ANNOUNCED a major new investment in its data centre at Clondalkin in Dublin, in a move which will create 400 construction jobs.

The expansion – in which Microsoft is investing $130 million (€98 million) – will see a 112,000-square-foot facility built at the Grange Castle business park, where the software giant already has a centre.

When completed, the combined data centres will employ between 50 and 70 people.

Microsoft’s chief financial officer Peter Klein, visiting Dublin to announce the expansion, said Microsoft was “committed to efficiency” and that the data centre would be 50 per cent more efficient than traditional data centres, using renewable wind energy whenever possible.

“This investment shows where we are placing our bets for the future,” Klein said. “As customers embrace Microsoft cloud services such as Office 365, Windows Live, Xbox Live, Bing and the Windows Azure platform, we are investing in regional cloud infrastructure to meet their needs.”

Taoiseach Enda Kenny welcomed the announcement, saying it was a sign that “Ireland continues to regain its international reputation for investment and business”.

“We are delighted that our strategy to become the country of choice for data centres is coming to fruition,” the Taoiseach offered.

We very much recognise the role that cloud computing can play in transforming our public sector as well as being a catalyst for economic growth.

Jobs minister Richard Bruton said the government would build on the growth to make Ireland a world leader in cloud computing.

Microsoft already employs 1,100 people in Ireland between its EMEA Operations Centre, the European Development Centre, the Dublin Data Centre, and its sales and marketing operations.

Microsoft is not the only technology giant to have a data premises in Grange Castle: in September Google announced it would create 200 construction jobs, and 30 full-time positions, in a new data centre in the same business park.

More: PayPal to create 1,000 new jobs in Dundalk

Read: Irish weather brings 230 new jobs with Google data centre

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21 Comments
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    Mute D Burns
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 1:59 PM

    That’s great news for the construction sector :-)

    73
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    Mute Sean Mc Avinue
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 11:55 PM

    IRISH and IRISH ONLY!

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    Mute Jill Mulhern
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 2:02 PM

    It’s all installing windows!!!! Ah great news!

    66
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    Mute Inda Kinny
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 2:06 PM

    HA!

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    Mute Sara cahill
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    Feb 24th 2012, 1:05 AM

    Haha! Brilliant!

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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 2:01 PM

    Any jobs for the south west. Throw us a frigging bone here will ya.

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    Mute Jay funk
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 3:21 PM

    Move to where the jobs are?

    43
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    Mute John Brennan
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 2:16 PM

    This is great news and there will be a few jobs created here during construction phase. These data centers require few staff once completed as there is a ratio of about 1 administrator to every 30,000 servers in these types of data center. The place where the big job numbers will come is in training up software engineers to write code that use these centers. After all that’s why the likes of MS are building these in the first place; to provide infrastructure to run cloud based apps for business (and make a profit in providing this service). Hopefully the government can see where the real jobs are and invest more money in improving how science and maths are taught at secondary/third level.

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    Mute neuromancer
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 2:32 PM

    As of lately a lot of IT companies are setting up here, expanding business, or setting up their European HQs.

    If anything the government should make the most of this, and do something about it.

    We could easily become the Silicon Valley of Europe. Perhaps we should drop our corporation tax :)

    33
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    Mute Keith Hoare
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 2:34 PM

    Good to see at least some people can see a positive development for Ireland when it happens! Let this continue!

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    Mute Kevin McCarthy
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 3:14 PM

    I read in the San Fran chronicle that 38% of the office space in Dublin has been leased by U.S companies in the last year. Now that is positive news for business.

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    Mute Itchy Brain
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 3:09 PM

    I’m absolutely kicking myself for not getting into IT at an earlier stage!

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    Mute Neil
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 3:25 PM

    I do wonder sometimes how the sector has managed to thrive during such a recession. I guess Apple have a lot to do with it.

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    Mute Itchy Brain
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 3:42 PM

    More and more people learning how to use computers and using the internet I guess.

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    Mute Yosser Hughes
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 3:25 PM

    Very good news every little helps ..just wonder how many proper IT courses Fas are running ??

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    Mute Tom Neville
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 5:23 PM

    Wow…impressive news.

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    Mute Stefan Hanrahan
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 4:52 PM

    This is great news long may it continue, hopefully everybody will get a job again and we can all move on from the past.

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    Mute jimbo
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    Feb 23rd 2012, 2:03 PM

    great news,wrong link last post…

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    Mute Dermot Mc Loughlin
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    Feb 24th 2012, 10:48 AM

    Fair play to Microsoft for creating these jobs.

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    Mute Mark osullivan
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    Feb 24th 2012, 1:03 AM

    I wonder how long it took them to explain to Edna what exactly ‘cloud computing’ is..

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    Mute Stephen Harrington
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    Jun 11th 2012, 4:31 PM

    It’s great to see companies such as Microsoft continuing to invest in their Irish operations and view Ireland as a location of high importance to their operations.

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