Taoiseach Officially Opens Google’s newest offices in Dublin
Thursday, 8th February 2018. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD today officially opened Google’s newest offices in Dublin that will serve as a home to Google’s growing Enterprise and Cloud teams in Dublin. Located in the Velasco Building on Dublin’s Grand Canal, the teams will play a strategic role in helping to grow Google’s cloud and enterprise business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Velasco will also be home to an Advanced Solutions Lab where Google Cloud’s enterprise customers can co-create and develop customised solutions for their business on-site in conjunction with Google Cloud experts.
This new investment in Velasco, which has 51,000 sq ft of space brings total investment in Ireland by Google to €809m. Google’s EMEA HQ now employs over 7,000 people and the company is now recruiting new roles for its cloud and enterprise business.
With this new building and the teams occupying it, Google continues its investment in Ireland and its focus on growing its EMEA sales operation from start-up, which today supports publishers, users, developers and businesses in over 60 countries.
Speaking at the official opening of Velasco, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, TD said: “Back in 2003 there was great excitement when Google announced it was establishing its European HQ in Ireland, with the creation 200 jobs over three years. Fifteen years later, Google employs 7,000 people in Ireland, over seven locations.
“There are many strong reasons why Google chose to come to Dublin and why the company has gone from strength to strength here ever since, not least of all, our highly skilled technological workforce, our adaptability and our commitment to innovation.
“The opening of the Velasco Building represents the next stage of Google’s relationship with Ireland and represents a major strategic investment in cloud computing here. The Government is committed to creating a supportive ecosystem to secure a share of the rapidly growing tech industry and usher in a new wave of Cloud/AI research and development.”
Fionnuala Meehan, VP and Head of Google in Dublin said; “We are delighted to be expanding our presence in Ireland and are very excited at the opportunities it presents for Irish and EMEA businesses. Growing our cloud and enterprise teams, along with the establishment of our Advanced Solutions Lab is sure to drive education and adoption of cloud technology by Irish businesses. It builds on the success of The Foundry which has become a centre of learning for companies across EMEA wanting to grow their businesses digitally.”
Gareth Morgan, VP Google Cloud Sales said: “Google in Dublin is a growth engine for businesses across in Ireland and across EMEA, helping them go digital and capitalise on the cloud opportunity. We want to empower businesses to embrace all cloud has to offer, not just for storage but for its ability to provide critical infrastructure for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.”
CEO of IDA Ireland Martin Shanahan said: “Google’s expanding presence in Dublin significantly strengthens the capital city’s international reputation as the technology hub of choice for leading innovators. This investment builds on the existing technology ecosystem in Ireland, making Ireland increasingly attractive for business growth and research and development into new technologies and services.”