Tech giant Microsoft, together with its wider network, has contributed €4.9 billion to the Republic’s economic output over the past year, according to a new report.
The company established a presence in Dublin in 1985 with a small manufacturing operation of fewer than 100 people.
As the company celebrates 40 years here, it has published a socio-economic impact report that shows it has contributed €40 billion to Ireland’s economy over the past decade.
The report, which was carried out by consultancy Indecon, shows employment supported by the company has grown by 340 per cent since 2014, while its annual contribution to economic output has increased by 380 per cent.
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The company employs more than 6,400 people across its campus in Leopardstown, its data centre campus in Grange Castle, the entertainment group Activision Blizzard King, and LinkedIn’s operations in Dublin.
It delivers a broad range of services, including research and development (R&D), engineering, cloud services, and EMEA sales, as well as support functions, including financial and legal services, operations and logistics.
The report found that Microsoft helps sustain more than 20,000 jobs in the State through direct, indirect, and induced employment, up from 4,500 jobs a decade ago.
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“This increase shows how Microsoft, together with its wider network and partners, is strengthening Ireland’s tech ecosystem, advancing Ireland’s position as a leading technology hub, and creating opportunities across multiple sectors,” the report said.
To mark its 40 years here, Microsoft has committed an additional €4 million to artificial intelligence (AI) skilling initiatives here.
“The additional funding aims to unlock Ireland’s AI opportunity by providing people of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences with the opportunity to develop their AI fluency and digital skills, benefiting communities and businesses across the country,” the company said.
“This investment will also support the expansion of AI learning opportunities for young people through Microsoft Dream Space, which has already engaged over 500,000 students since 2018.”
A new €1 million Dream Space hub at Grange Castle will provide “hands-on” Stem [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] and AI education for more than 5,000 students and hundreds of teachers here.
The new hub will deliver a technically-focused curriculum, covering physical computing, electrical engineering and cloud operations.
The report said the company has invested €1.8 billion in R&D activities since 2014, with 1,600 current engineering roles focused on driving innovation. Some 676 patent applications have been filed since 2008, of which 549 were granted, while 89 new products have been developed.
More broadly, the company has enabled almost 900 start-ups and over 500 registered partners and resellers in the Republic to grow and scale their businesses.
The report found the company has also engaged the services of more than 550 Irish-based suppliers contributing to more than 3,300 jobs in its supplier network, while also supporting more than 5,000 construction jobs since 2019.
Microsoft has said it is committed to covering all energy consumption of its data centre campuses with 100 per cent carbon-free electricity purchases.
It has entered into multiyear corporate power purchase agreements with several renewable energy developers, related to the development of more than 1 gigawatt of onshore wind and solar energy projects across Ireland.
