Ireland primed to be EU digital ‘centre of excellence’

The new head of the representative body for US companies operating here has said Ireland has the potential to become a digital data ‘centre of excellence’ for the EU.

“Ireland is uniquely positioned to seek new opportunities. One area we’ve focused on is the incredible potential of the digital economy across all business sectors in Ireland,” said new American Chamber of Commerce Ireland president James O’Connor, who heads up Microsoft’s EMEA operations centre in Dublin.

While it remains “too early” to know how President Trump’s policies may affect inward investment to Ireland, Mr O’Connor said Ireland must work to maintain its competitiveness and attractiveness to investors — particularly in the areas of education, costs and infrastructure.