Ireland Shaping Europe’s AI Future: Talent, Regulation, and Investment

Artificial intelligence is moving from experimentation into everyday business operations, and Ireland has emerged as one of Europe’s most active hubs for this transition.

Ireland may be better known for stunning green landscapes and dramatic coastlines, but it’s quickly becoming known for its technology knowhow: it consistently ranks among the top performers in the EU for digital skills. In fact, Ireland doesn’t just rank highly for digital skills in the EU; the country punches above its weight, enabling organizations to roll out and scale AI at pace.

Meanwhile, new research from Deloitte, analyzing 15 countries, found that Ireland has emerged as a major AI investment hub, ranking number one for AI strategy integration in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

As fast as AI can whip out a college essay or analyze an MRI scan, the business landscape is evolving almost as fast. As companies embed AI into their infrastructure and business plans, Ireland’s mix of skills, regulatory engagement, and innovation ecosystems is helping accelerate measurable business outcomes. It’s an evolution visible across multinationals, Irish scale-ups, and research collaborations, all of which are now shaping Europe’s broader AI landscape.

From Experimentation to Enterprise Value

For casual bystanders, AI may seem to have come out of nowhere, but Ireland first made a commitment to develop a national AI strategy in 2019. Fast forward to today, with a newly refreshed AI strategy being spearheaded by an AI advisory council, across Ireland, organizations are moving from limited AI trials to deploying systems that deliver clear productivity gains. Companies operating and opening shop in Ireland are increasingly finding that they don’t have to bring AI expertise with them; they can tap into local talent.

The commitment Ireland made to AI has led to partnerships that are causing even more growth. In 2024, IBM Ireland made a economic splash when it announced it would be adding 800 AI-related jobs. In 2025, AI infrastructure provider Crusoe opened in European headquarters in Dublin.

That same year, Workday, the enterprise AI software platform company that manages people, money and agents, headquartered in Pleasanton, California, announced a $202.5 million investment in the AI Center of Excellence in Dublin to accelerate European innovation. Workday is partnering with Technology Ireland Digital Skillnet’s AI Business Academy, and through its partnership with TU Dublin (Technological University Dublin, Ireland’s first technological university), over 285 employees have graduated with certifications in AI relevant themes including machine learning, cybersecurity and entrepreneurial leadership.

These initiatives illustrate how multinational firms are embedding AI education into workforce planning while strengthening Ireland’s broader innovation ecosystem. Ireland has swiftly transformed into an AI oasis for international companies looking to incorporate the technology into their infrastructure and business plans.

In fact, according to Microsoft research, Ireland ranks highly in AI diffusion and adoption; it’s currently in fourth place globally.

Where AI Adoption Is Delivering the Strongest Returns

AI deployment is accelerating across several of Ireland’s most important sectors, each driven by different business needs. A few examples:

Financial services. Companies, such as banks and investment firms, are using machine learning to perform real-time fraud monitoring, anomaly detection, and predictive risk modeling, capabilities that are increasingly essential in global payment systems and compliance-heavy environments.

Heavily regulated companies. In industries from healthcare to finance and transportation, firms are also rolling out AI-enabled solutions for regulatory reporting and process automation, reducing administrative burdens, and improving accuracy. This corresponds with broader European trends as regulators encourage more tech-enabled risk management and transparency.

Advanced manufacturing. Major medical device manufacturers in Ireland are embedding AI into quality management, testing workflows, and smart-factory initiatives supported by digital transformation programs. These implementations help improve precision, reduce error rates, and further embed digital advanced manufacturing processes across the factory floor.

Software companies. Intercom, for example, headquartered in San Francisco, California, has relied heavily on engineering talent in Dublin to build Fin, its conversational AI support tool. The system increased their customer query resolution rates from 25% to 65%, demonstrating how Irish-based teams are contributing to next-generation AI-enabled service automation.

Hardware companies. Intel’s Fab 34 in Leixlip has one of the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the world. Companies such as AMD, Qualcomm, and Analog Devices design and test advanced semiconductor technologies and compute solutions required for AI workloads. Because modern AI requires immense processing power, this hardware ecosystem plays a foundational role in enabling global AI progress.

Even Irish startups are getting in on the action. Cybersecurity firm Tines uses AI to help their customers automate secure, complex workflows, helping organizations reduce manual effort in non-repetitive tasks. Quantum computing startup Equal1, which recently signed a partnership deal with Nvidia, just developed the Bell-1 high-performance quantum device designed to accelerate AI model development.

The Barriers That Still Limit AI at Scale

Despite rapid progress, several challenges continue to shape how organizations design and scale AI.

Data readiness, for one, remains a defining obstacle globally, but Ireland’s long-standing experience in handling large datasets, built through work in cloud computing, shared services, and financial operations, positions it well to help companies overcome this hurdle.

Regulation is another obstacle. Europe has taken a more cautious approach to AI governance than other regions, reflected in frameworks such as the EU AI Act. While these guardrails emphasize safety, privacy, and trust, all important tenants, policymakers are increasingly aware of the need to avoid slowing innovation. Former Italian prime minister Mario Draghi highlighted this tension in his highly regarded 2024 competitiveness report, urging the EU to reduce barriers that limit technology adoption and entrepreneurial activity.

Infrastructure presents a third challenge. AI workloads require significant computing capacity and energy, and Ireland, like many European markets has faced constraints related to energy demand and grid capacity.

Still, Ireland seems more equipped to hurdle these barriers than many countries, especially if the country can achieve renewable energy targets. Ireland needs to do better, but wind and solar panel generates 40% of the country’s electricity. The will to improve renewable energy, to accommodate AI, is there.

The talent is also there. Numerous investments are being made in AI infrastructure, such as the AI Factory Antenna in Ireland project, a $12 million investment, evenly co-funded by the European Union and Irish Government, to provide a range of AI-focused technical resources and services to startups, small to medium businesses and public sectors, and research ecosystem in Ireland.

Some big names have taken notice of Ireland’s workforce. As OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has observed, “Ireland blends a skilled and talented workforce with support for innovation and responsible business growth. This combined with access to global markets make it an excellent choice to start to establish an impactful presence in the European Union and beyond.’’

In fact, OpenAI established first office in the European Union in Dublin, which is now its EU headquarters Anthropic soon followed with their first EU office in Dublin.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Nobody knows the future, not even AI, but as AI becomes more embedded in Irish operations, companies are moving beyond cost-reduction mindsets toward productivity-driven innovation. The strategic conversation has shifted from “How can AI make us more efficient?” to “How can AI make our products and services more valuable to customers?”

This evolution mirrors global market dynamics, where AI is increasingly seen as a driver of revenue growth, differentiation, and new business models. While the concept of artificial intelligence dates to 1956, coined by Irish American computer scientist John McCarthy, global companies today are only beginning to unlock its full potential. Just as McCarthy’s mind would be blown if he could see what AI looks like today, it’s a safe bet that we can’t begin to imagine what opportunities await us tomorrow.

About the author

Brian Conroy is Executive Vice President and Director, North America at IDA Ireland, the Irish Government agency responsible for attracting and supporting foreign direct investment into Ireland. He advises North American leadership teams on building and scaling European platforms in Ireland—spanning AI, digital transformation, and innovation-led investment. IDA Ireland’s strategy prioritizes digitalization and AI as core growth drivers, reinforcing Ireland’s positioning as a launchpad for global operating models.