HP to build new Galway facility

Up to 150 construction workers will be employed to build a new facility for technology company Hewlett Packard on its site at Ballybrit in Galway, it was announced today.

The new 8,000 square-metre building will have the capacity to accommodate up to 700 staff to support software development, cloud innovation and business services for HP worldwide, the company said in a statement.

Construction at the site, which is in the final process of planning permission, will commence this year, and will be “one of the largest construction projects in the Galway region in recent times”.

HP executive vice president of global technology and operations John Hinshaw said the Galway facility continues to “successfully attract some of the best and brightest talent in key IT growth areas for HP”.

HP managing director Martin Murphy described the decision to construct a new facility as "an exciting and very important development for HP in Ireland".

“This investment in Ballybrit is an endorsement of Galway as a strategic location of choice for HP and affirms the company’s ongoing commitment to its operations in this country.”

Commenting on the announcement, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the project would “provide a much-needed boost” to the construction industry.

"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," he added.

HP Ireland employs around 4,500 people, with facilities in Leixlip, Dublin, Galway and Belfast.