By Business & Finance 
Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland; Fionnuala Meehan, VP and Head of Google in Dublin; An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD; and Gareth Morgan, VP Google Cloud Sales (Photo: Robbie Reynolds)
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar today officially opened Google’s newest offices in Dublin. The new premises will be home to Google’s Enterprise and Cloud teams.
The offices, located at Velasco Building on Grand Canal, will play a vital role in rolling out Google’s cloud and enterprise business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
It 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 alongside Google Cloud experts.
Velasco has 51,000 sq ft of space and brings total Google investment in Ireland to €809 million. The company’s EMEA HQ now employs over 7,000 people and is looking for new roles to be filled.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said at the official opening: “Back in 2003 there was great excitement when Google announced it was establishing its European HQ in Ireland, with the creation of 200 jobs over three years. Fifteen years later, Google employs 7,000 people in Ireland, in 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.”
The 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.”
