July 24, 2000

IBM Expands Operations in Ireland

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REUTERS INDEX | INTERNATIONAL | BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY

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Filed at 8:22 a.m. ET

By Reuters

DUBLIN (Reuters) - U.S. computer giant International Business Machines Corp. plans to expand its e-business operations in Ireland, creating 150 new jobs, the Irish government said on Monday.

Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney said IBM, which employs more than 2,000 people in Ireland, would set up a new data center to support e-business applications and a supplier portal for Europe, the Middle East and Africa which enables companies to trade with IBM and other companies securely.

The company is also transferring the management of IBM's internal and external web sites in the EMEA area to Ireland, Harney said in a statement.

Total new investment at the IBM Technology Campus in Mulhuddart, County Dublin, will amount to around 100 million Irish pounds ($118.5 million).

``This announcement signifies a vote of confidence by IBM in Ireland's e-business infrastructure, recognizing the government's work in bandwidth provision, global connectivity and the legislative framework for business,'' Harney, also minister for enterprise, trade and employment, said.

The Irish government has been keen to woo foreign investment in high-value, high-tech sectors such as software development, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.

Much of the country's six-year boom has been driven by foreign companies attracted by relatively low corporate tax rates, Ireland's membership of the euro zone, and a young, comparatively well-educated workforce.

Businesses have, however, been coming up against labor shortages in the last two years.

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