By Business & Finance 
Cathriona Hallahan, MD, Microsoft Ireland
Microsoft today marked its 30th anniversary in Ireland by announcing details of a new €134m campus style building which will be located at the South County Business Park in Leopardstown.
The new campus will bring Microsoft’s 1,200 strong team all together under one roof for the first time in the company’s recent history in Ireland. This means that developers, engineers, finance and operations professionals as well as the sales, marketing and services teams will work alongside each other in an environment that will encourage, foster and facilitate innovation and collaboration across teams and disciplines.
The campus investment is the latest in a series of large infrastructural commitments that Microsoft has made in Ireland over its 30 year history here. The total amount invested by the company to date is in the region of €1bn, a figure that includes significant data centre investments in west Dublin.
Commenting on the announcement An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD said: “I am delighted to welcome Microsoft’s announcement of a new €134m state-of-the-art ‘One Campus’ in Leopardstown on the occasion of the company’s 30th anniversary in Ireland. This investment is truly significant and is a fantastic sign of Microsoft’s continued commitment to Ireland. The Government’s job is to build on the positive environment that exists for companies like Microsoft so they can continue to grow, create and secure jobs in Ireland. This is part of the Government’s plan to create 40,000 new jobs this year and return our country to full employment by 2018.”
Cathriona Hallahan, MD, Microsoft Ireland said: “It is fitting and appropriate that we make this further commitment to Ireland during the year that we celebrate our 30th anniversary here. Having grown from a small manufacturing facility with less than 100 people in 1985 to what we are today, we have a strong track record of continual investment in Ireland. Dublin is now home to a number of European and global teams and groups as well as to the first Data Centre located outside the US – a facility that has grown rapidly over the past 5 years. The €134m investment in a modern home for our team underpins our long term commitment to Ireland. We are looking forward to having a great year of celebrations to mark our 30 years in Ireland and there is no better way to start the year than with this announcement.”
The new campus will be located in a wooded setting, backing on to Leopardstown racecourse. The building will take advantage of its sylvan surroundings by having a running and walking trail around the perimeter of the site as well as rooftop terraces looking over the trees to the race track on one side and the mountains on the other. The building will showcase the best of Microsoft’s technology with plans to integrate and embed the Company’s latest technology and Cloud solutions in every aspect of the building’s design. The total floor area of the new building will be c. 34, 554 sqm over a basement of c. 13, 738 sqm. The site is just under 3 hectares (2.976.)
Details of the new campus are being unveiled today at a meeting for the company’s 1,200 employees. This meeting brings all members of the team together under a ‘One Microsoft Ireland’ umbrella, celebrating the achievements of the past year while also looking out to what is on the horizon both locally in Ireland and more broadly from the company as a whole.
In addition to making capital investments over 30 years the company has also provided an estimated €30m of support to charities and non-profit organisations in Ireland through the provision of software, financial grants and expertise from employee volunteers. Marking the 30th anniversary, employees will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite charity to receive a cash donation of €30,000.
