Galway jobs boost in the clouds as HP plan purpose-built European Software Centre

Hewlett Packard to build 87,000 sq-foot facility that will house up to 700 workers.

The construction of a new purpose-built European Software Centre by Hewlett Packard in Ballybrit, which will create up to 350 new jobs – has been hailed by the Taoiseach as a major boost for Galway.

Construction at the site is to begin this year and will be one of the largest construction projects in the Galway region in recent times.

The three-storey building will replace the existing 40 year-old premises, which no longer meets HP’s requirements. The facility will house software R&D, cloud innovation and business services for HP worldwide. The new facility will be a modern office building, built with flexibility and environmental sustainability features and fitted out to support the needs of HP employees into the future.

Speaking at the announcement, the Taoiseach said:

“The construction of a new state of the art R&D building by HP is a testament to their Galway staff and operations in Ireland. “The project will create 150 construction jobs during its development and will provide a much-needed boost for this sector”

“HP has been a valued business partner in Ireland throughout the years and this new investment will see HP and Ireland remain at the forefront of software research and cloud computing technology”

Enda Kenny TD (An Taoiseach)

Martin Murphy (HP Ireland, Managing Director) described the investment as an endorsement of HP’s on going commitment to operations in Ireland.

HP in Ireland has been successful over the last three years in attracting more than 1,000 new jobs to the country in addition to the 4,000 or so already in place. The creation of the Global Services Desk in March 2009 generated 500 jobs, and the expansion of the company’s Galway operation in 2010 spawned 50 jobs. In addition, the company announced 120 jobs at its Dublin operations in September 2010 and 105 jobs at its Galway operations in December 2010, followed by a further 50 new jobs.

 ”Our facilities in Galway are proving to successfully attract some of the best and brightest talent in key IT growth areas for HP. We are pleased to announce an investment in a new state of the art facility to support future development of new cutting edge technologies,”

John Hinshaw (HP’s Executive Vice President of Global Technology and Operations)

Mark Gantly, Managing Director in Galway, praised his existing workforce of 600 who helped secure the new investment.

“This announcement today is testament to the strength of the team on the ground who are developing new and meaningful technologies in Ireland that are being brought to the rest of the world”

Mark Gantly (Managing Director, HP Galway)