Tech giant IBM has teamed up with South East Technological University (SETU) on a multimillion euro education initiative to support skills development in Ireland through access to advanced technology systems.
The €11.5 million technology system includes an IBM z17 mainframe, installed at SETU, that will give students hands-on time with the system to develop their skills and also boost computing capacity for modelling, simulation and secure data management.
“IBM has been a company that’s always been predicated on bringing innovation, value to the world, economies, industries and society at large, and how we bring value to deliver responsible, ethical technology,” said James Kavanaugh, IBM’s chief financial officer.
“The new innovation value that we brought on top of mainframe made it the right time to establish a relationship with SETU around how we enable the students with that set of capabilities in an agentic AI world right now where they can take advantage of it.”
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The z17 mainframe and software will be used to support teaching, learning and research across the university, consolidating 60 existing research and student resource servers on to a single mainframe system. That will enhance student learning around systems administration, programming and AI in a practical, real-world environment.
It will also offer hands-on access to enterprise-grade technology that is used to support finance, healthcare and public services.
The initiative will benefit students across computer science, engineering, cybersecurity, data and AI, while student-led technology societies will also have access to dedicated learning environments.
IBM’s Z Mainframe system is a long-running technology platform that has evolved significantly over the years. It now powers approximately 70 per cent of global transactions by value, and offers advanced AI capabilities with strong security.
“The mainframe today, with all of its innovation value that it has brought for decades on reliability, scalability, security, etc, now is evolved into the most performant AI infrastructure hardware that has the ability to do inferencing in many different use cases,” said Kavanaugh.
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The initiative at SETU is part of IBM’s celebration of its 70th anniversary in Ireland.
The company has significant operations here, announcing more than 850 high‑tech roles across Dublin, Cork and Waterford in the past two years, with new jobs in research and development, IBM Z development, IBM Consulting operations and sales. The company has also forged partnerships with Irish academic institutions and the public sector, particularly around skills development.
“For 70 years, IBM has contributed to Ireland’s growth by investing in technology, skills and innovation. This latest support to boost education and research will help equip the next generation with the capabilities required for the AI era, while strengthening Ireland’s position as a hub for advanced enterprise technology,” Taoiseach Micheál Martin said.
“This commitment by IBM reflects Ireland’s ambition to build long-term, sustainable leadership in digital innovation.”
