Microsoft investing $130m in Dublin mega datacentre

Data centre

Microsoft has announced plans to expand its Dublin datacentre to cater for increased demand in its cloud products.

The Redmond giant will invest a further $130 million into the datacentre, which will see a 112,000 square feet facility added to the complex, creating around 400 construction jobs over the next 12 months.

Another 50-70 people will be employed to manage the new facility, which Microsoft claimed would be 50 per cent more efficient than traditional datacentres. It will also use 99 per cent less water for cooling purposes.

We are delighted that our strategy to become the country of choice for data centres is coming to fruition.

"This investment shows where we are placing our bets for the future. As customers embrace Microsoft cloud services such as Office 365, Windows Live, Xbox Live, Bing and the Windows Azure platform, we are investing in regional cloud infrastructure to meet their needs," said Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft.

"We are seeing increasing numbers of European businesses and consumers adopting Microsoft's cloud services, and we are continuing to build new infrastructure and services in order to meet current and future demands," added Stephen McGibbon, chief technology officer for Microsoft EMEA.

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny was on hand to welcome the announcement, saying it would help Ireland regain its reputation as a home for business.

"Now central to our Action Plan on Jobs we are delighted that our strategy to become the country of choice for datacentres is coming to fruition," Kenny added.

"We very much recognise the role that cloud computing can play in transforming our public sector as well as being a catalyst for economic growth."

Tom Brewster

Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.

He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.