Google has announced a €150 million expansion of its second data centre at Grange Castle.

The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, joined the Minister of State for Trade, Business and EU Digital Single Market, Pat Breen, in turning the sod on the major expansion project in South County Dublin.

The new facility will create approximately 400 jobs at peak during its construction and take approximately 16 months to complete, by which time the data centre will bring Google's total capital investment in Ireland to €1 billion since 2003.

Speaking at the launch, Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation said: "Fifteen years after first establishing an office here in Ireland, today's announcement is a testament to Google's ongoing commitment to Ireland as a key hub for its operations.

"This €150m data centre expansion brings the company's total investment in its Irish data centres alone to €500m, and its capital expenditure to almost €1bn. There is no denying that this is a considerable vote of confidence in Ireland as a place to do business. Not only that, but given the importance of data centres in keeping web-based and cloud services running smoothly, this development is also an endorsement of our country's technical expertise and infrastructure. The business sector in Ireland is an ecosystem that benefits from positive news like this, so I am absolutely delighted to welcome this significant investment."

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Pat Breen TD, Minister of State for Trade, Business and EU Digital Single Market added: "In addition to the very tangible effect that an investment such as this has on an area, the Copenhagen Economics report released today has shown that Google's presence here has numerous knock-on benefits too. The report highlights that the productivity and competitiveness of local suppliers and businesses benefit from Google's existence through spillover of the company's managerial knowledge and operational practices. Other companies who might look to invest in Ireland will acknowledge Google's recognition of the high level of skills, suppliers and resources here, greatly increasing our attractiveness for additional foreign direct investment."

Terence McGoff, Engineering Director at Google, also said: "I'm really delighted to announce that we've started to break ground on the new addition to our facility here in South County Dublin. Our data centres are essential to our operations both in Ireland and across the larger EMEA region, allowing consumers and business to use our cloud-based tools and software far more efficiently and effectively. This investment shows our continued commitment to Ireland as a key driver for the whole EMEA region, and we're proud to see that total capital investment by Google in Ireland has reached a total of €1bn since we first opened an office here in Dublin fifteen years ago."

Today also saw the release of a report by Copenhagen Economics into the impact of Google's data centres on the Irish economy, which found that for the years 2011-2017, the facility represented:

• A €350 million direct investment in construction and operations.

• A €400 million contribution to Ireland's GDP (avg €55 million per year).

• A total of 4,900 jobs supported both directly and indirectly (average 700 jobs per year).

(MH/LM)