Google opens new data center in Ireland

U.S. internet giant Google opened a new 150-million euro (168 million U.S. dollars) data center in west Dublin on Thursday, bringing its total investment in capital assets in Ireland to over 750 million euros.

The new two-storey data center in Clondalkin, which houses computers that run services such as the Google search engine, Gmail and Google Maps, was built alongside Google's existing data center which opened in 2012.

This is Google's second major data center investment in Ireland, and is the newest addition to Google's global fleet of energy-efficient cloud computing facilities.

The company employs 3,000 people directly and about 3,000 people in contracted positions, bringing the total employment at Google Ireland sites to 6,000, a 20 percent increase in the past year.

Speaking at the event, Ireland's Prime Minister Enda Kenny said the opening of this new data center 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," Kenny said.

He said his government's priority is to make Ireland a more competitive location for new investment and job creation, adding that the ongoing development of Ireland's digital industry is a key part of that plan.

Google first arrived here in 2003. It is now one of the largest employers in Ireland. (1 euro = 1.12 U.S. dollars) Endit