The expansion is based on the selection of Ireland as a key location to invest in advancing its global AI innovation, the company said.
Recruitment for the first 120 roles will kick off today including roles in software engineering, applied sciences, security research, product management and program management.
The full complement of jobs expected to be filled over three to four years. Recruitment will ultimately be across in areas including software engineering, applied sciences, product management, program management, data science, design, technical writing and analytics.
Multidisciplinary teams in the areas of Azure Networking & Infrastructure, Business & Industry Copilot, Customer Success Engineering and Cyber Security will be built here, the company said.
“The investment will see Microsoft, a global leader in the development and use of AI, undertake significant industrial research into AI to develop critical, leading-edge technology in the area of AI and cyber security, which will then be made available to public and private sector organisations all around the world,” the company said.
Microsoft has been in Ireland since 1985. The newly announced roles will bring total employment here to more than 6,000 people across a multifunctional campus in Leopardstown, its data centre campus in Grange Castle, and LinkedIn.
Microsoft Ireland Site Leader, James O’Connor, said AI is one of the most transformative technologies of our time .
“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. Ireland is undoubtedly an established hotbed of engineering and cyber security talent and leadership, with Irish universities producing some of the very best gradates, and this is a significant contributing factor to both our success and continued investment here,” he said.
The CEO of IDA Ireland, Michael Lohan, said Ireland is to proving itself as a location where the world’s most innovative AI companies build ground breaking technologies.
“In line with government’s ambitions, by supporting innovative R&D projects like the one announced by Microsoft today, we are helping to shape the future of AI in Ireland and to harness AI as a driver for future economic growth,” he said.