IBM to create 75 new jobs in Waterford

The company will recruit software engineers for its R&D teams

Nathan Cullen, IBM Ireland country general manager with Mary Buckley, IDA Ireland; John Cummins TD; Ross Mauri, IBM Mainframe general manager; Minister Jack Chambers; Mary Butler TD, IDA Ireland development manager Anne-Marie Tierney le-Roux, and Brian McGee IDA Ireland South East regional manager at the announcement that 75 new jobs will be created by IBM in Waterford. Picture: Julien Behal

Up to 75 engineering jobs will be created by IBM at a new research and development centre in Waterford, the company announced on Thursday.

The global technology company will hire software engineers over the next three years. The roles will focus on innovation for IBM Z, the company's global transaction technology. The Waterford software engineers will collaborate with IBM’s R&D teams worldwide, from designing processors and firmware to software development and advancing the Linux operating system.

IBM employs more than 3,000 people in Ireland. IBM last year announced the recruitment of another 800 high-tech jobs in Ireland by 2027 in roles spanning R&D, digital sales, and consulting operations, across Dublin, Cork, and Waterford.

“I am delighted to see our footprint in Ireland evolve further. This is testimony to the deep talent pools available across the country, upon which we have steadily built our business, including mainframes which are a cornerstone of global transactions," said IBM Ireland country general manager Nathan Cullen. 

"IBM has now operated in Ireland for nearly 70 years and this milestone investment for the region also speaks volumes about the ecosystem that has built up around the South Eastern Technical University.”

The announcement for Waterford was welcomed by the Government and IDA Ireland. IDA Ireland chief executive Michael Lohan noted the decision to strengthen the company's collaboration with the South East Technological University, which the IDA said will develop a technical skills ecosystem with a focus on mainframes and Linux.

Mr Lohan said the investment is closely aligned to the IDA strategy published in February, entitled Adapt Intelligently: A Strategy for Sustainable Growth and Innovation, 2025-29, which commits to positioning Ireland at the centre of cutting-edge global technological innovation in the next five years. "I warmly welcome this decision by IBM and assure them of IDA’s continued partnership," Mr Lohan said.

IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise with operations in more than 175 countries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare use IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift products.