Microsoft, which employs more than 4,000 people in the Republic of Ireland, said its support for Ireland and Europe is “steadfast” as the company committed to continuing investment here.
Microsoft’s president and vice chair Brad Smith made the comments following an IDA Ireland event in Dublin at which the tech giant was recognised for the contribution the company has made to Ireland over the past four decades.
“We have been consistent for four decades here, we will be consistent in the future,” he said. “I think my message is simple: Ireland can count on us.”
The company received the special recognition award, which highlights the contribution multinationals have made to Ireland over the years, at a ceremony in Dublin’s Mansion House on Monday.
The US tech company has built up its business in Ireland from a handful of employees in 1985 to a staff of thousands working across areas that include software development, engineering, data centres, finance, operations and sales and marketing service for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
“We’ve created here the ability to serve Europe with the technology that Europe needs to conquer the competitiveness crisis,” he told the event. “It has enabled us to defend he people, the government and the economy of Ukraine from the relentless cyber attacks and hybrid warfare that they have had to defend themselves and all of the free world against.”
Mr Smith accepted the award on behalf of the company, presented by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who praised the company for its impact on communities as well as the economy, with its educational collaborations and STEM initiatives, skills development and support for start-ups.
“The fact that it has had a presence here for 40 of its 50 years is testament to the value proposition that Ireland offers companies looking to internationalise their business,” the Taoiseach said. “Microsoft’s decision to choose Ireland as a location from which to expand its operations has contributed immensely to the vibrant and innovative tech ecosystem that has evolved here over the past four decades, not to mention its economic and social impact.”
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Microsoft joins a list of high-profile companies that have received the award. Apple was the first recipient of the special recognition award, with Google and Pfizer Ireland receiving it in recent years.
IDA Ireland chief executive Michael Lohan said foreign direct investment continued to be a “substantive driver” of the Irish economy, with the agency’s client companies creating jobs and delivering real economic impact.
“Microsoft is one such company and is a very deserving winner of our Special Recognition Award 2025,” he said. “IDA Ireland and Microsoft have built a longstanding, trusted partnership over four decades of expansion and growth in Ireland and I look forward to our continued partnership throughout the next decades as the company continues to develop the next wave of AI-powered software and technology.”
The award was presented at an IDA Ireland event with Microsoft, Our Shared Digital Future, which discussed future technology and how it would impact society and the workplace.
