Microsoft’s Irish Expansion: 550 New Roles In Research and Development

The tech behemoth Microsoft is investing heavily in Ireland to further AI research, generating hundreds of jobs in the process.

Over the next three to four years, 550 new positions headquartered in Ireland will be created, contributing to the advancement of new AI technology.

Software engineering, applied sciences, product and program management, data science, design, technical writing, and analytics are some of the fields in which the positions will be found.

Applications are being accepted for over 100 of these new positions in software engineering, applied sciences, security research, product management, and program management as of today, November 1.
 

Supported by IDA Ireland, the investment and new positions will seek to develop new AI-enabled product offerings for Microsoft as well as new applications for AI across other industries. 

With the addition of these positions, Microsoft's workforce in Ireland will now total over 6,000 employees spread throughout its Leopardstown site, Grange Castle data centre facility, and LinkedIn.

According to Taoiseach Simon Harris, TD, today's announcement strengthens Ireland's AI ecosystem and emphasises the country's appeal for investment.

“Fostering AI skills and advancing capabilities in the field are core to the Government’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and this project will help develop new specialist skills and expertise, thereby positioning Ireland for further investment in this critical area,” he said.

James O’Connor, Microsoft Ireland’s site leader and corporate vice-president of Microsoft Global Operations Service Centre said Ireland is “an established hotbed of engineering and cybersecurity talent” and that this was a significant contributing factor in Microsoft’s continued investment in the country.

“Through this investment, we are building on our almost 40-year presence in Ireland, which has been characterised by continuous investment, transformation and the diversification of our operations from a manufacturing site to a significant international hub for Microsoft providing software development, engineering, data centres, finance, operations and sales and marketing for EMEA,” he said.

“The creation of 550 new roles enables us to further strengthen our presence here in Ireland and take AI and cybersecurity innovation to the next level.”