Google unveils €75m data hub

It uses Ireland’s climate to cool its computers, has no air conditioning and is entirely carbon neutral. It could only be Google’s latest building in Dublin.

Built at a cost of €75m, the data centre at Profile Park in Clondalkin, houses computers that run cloud computing services such as the Google search engine, Gmail and Google Maps.

And the building ranks among the most energy efficient in the world. It uses an advanced air-cooling system to keep its computers running smoothly — taking advantage of Ireland’s naturally cool climate.

As a result, the centre does not require costly and power-hungry air-conditioning units.

This enables Google to reduce significantly its energy requirements and helps maintain its global status as a carbon-neutral company.

Construction took just under a year to complete, with more than 1,000 people working for over 90 specialist building and engineering firms contributing to the build.

More than 80% of the businesses involved were Irish. In all, approximately 400,000 man-hours were dedicated to design and construct the data centre.

The centre will provide employment for 30 people in a range of roles including computer technicians, electrical and mechanical engineers, catering, and security staff.

Speaking at the opening of the office yesterday, Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton said Ireland had distinct advantages in offering cloud computing services.

“Our technological infrastructure is rapidly improving and cloud computing is one area where our climate gives us advantages,” he said.

“It also shows the extent to which Google, one of the world’s leading companies, is deeply committed to Ireland, with an increasing range of operations located here and over 2,500 people now employed.”

Head of Google in Ireland, John Herlihy, said the new data centre showed the search engine giant’s commitment to Ireland.

“Demand for our services has grown rapidly in the past few years and our footprint in Ireland has expanded too — we now employ over 2,500 people here in Dublin, up from around 2,000 a year ago.

“Our new data centre is a key long-term investment for us and further strengthens our ties with the city and the country.”