Google to build €150m data centre

Ireland’s reputation as a favoured location for multinationals’ sprawling data centres will be further cemented by the construction of Google’s new €150m data centre in west Dublin.

The internet search giant yesterday announced plans to expand its storage capabilities alongside its existing data centre in Profile Park near Grangecastle.

Some 400 temporary jobs will be created during the construction of the centre, which has already begun, while up to 40 full-time roles will be created once the facility is operational.

In addition to its latest investment, which is twice that of the €75m it ploughed into the construction of its original Dublin data centre, Google has turned an eye to the future by snapping up an adjoining 31-acre site to accommodate further expansion.

“The data centre that we built in Dublin in 2012 has worked really well for us and created around 30 full-time jobs.

"We have now started construction on our second data centre and we have been working with the local community as the building gets under way,” said head of Google in Ireland, Ronan Harris.

“The point about the data centre is it’s like the cornerstone of the foundation of a building,” said Mr Harris on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

“It is what supports all of the other services that we deliver to our consumers and the investment in the data centre is our belief that the demand on our services is growing and around that we’ll be able to grow a lot more employment.”

Mr Harris said the facility is expected to operational before the start of next year.

He added that the closure of the so-called “double-Irish” tax loophole favoured by companies looking to reduce their tax bills would have no impact on its operations in Ireland.

Mr Harris refused to be drawn as to whether Google had a moral obligation to pay more tax in this country, however.

Google’s 30,000 square metre centre is the latest such facility to be announced by a multinational following steps in the same direction by both Apple and Facebook earlier this year.

In February, Apple unveiled plans for a €850m data centre in Athenry, Co Galway with an estimated 100 full-time jobs being created once operational, while Facebook was last month granted planning permission for its €200m centre in Clonee, Co Meath.

As well as a number of multinational corporations having operations based in Ireland, the country’s temperate climate makes it an attractive location for data storage facilities, with lower energy costs needed in Ireland to keep the centres cool.