U.S. companies accounted for 78% of Ireland's new R&D project approvals in 2025

73% of total jobs created in 2025 were from U.S. companies, up from 67% in 2024

PALO ALTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Today, IDA Ireland, the foreign direct investment (FDI) arm of the Irish government, announced that more than 270 companies headquartered in the Western U.S. are partnering with IDA Ireland to grow their European footprint. These partnerships, which include leading innovation brands like Apple, Workday, Anthropic, and Proofpoint, contribute to the 1,000+ operations and 218,000 jobs provided by U.S. businesses in Ireland.

The 2025 results reflect increased investment in AI, life sciences, and semiconductors, priority industries for both U.S. and Irish economic growth. The numbers also are a testament to U.S. corporate confidence in the Irish business environment and workforce as platforms for powering global growth:

Overall, 45% of all first-time investments in Ireland 2025 originated from U.S. companies.

Since 2023, three West Coast companies have invested in Ireland every month on average.

78% of Irish R&D project approvals came from U.S. companies, up from 69% in 2024.

"The scale of investment reflects how much U.S. companies trust Irish talent to drive high-complexity work and our pro-business regulatory environment," said Ivan Houlihan, Head of Western U.S. at IDA Ireland. "West Coast leaders are moving their most advanced R&D and AI safety work to Ireland, and our forty-year presence in Silicon Valley means we can be right alongside them as they scale and evolve.”

At a time when global FDI has declined in the face of geopolitical uncertainty, Ireland’s sustained investment momentum reflects the country’s enduring value for American companies looking to innovate and scale. Companies like The Clorox Company and Datavant established their first European footprints in Ireland, while long-term partners like Quest Software, Docusign, and Proofpoint have deepened their commitments.

Recent investments demonstrate a move toward specialized hubs and R&D:

Anthropic: Expanded its Dublin presence six-fold to accommodate 200 new roles in engineering, sales, and operations, driven by 11x year-over-year EMEA revenue growth.

PayPal: Launched a new Global Data Science Hub in Dublin focused on cutting-edge AI and fraud prevention.

Workday: Opened a $204M (€175M) AI Centre of Excellence, creating 400 high-tech roles. This builds on a decade-long relationship and partners with local universities to pioneer enterprise cloud applications.

Harvey: Opened a new Dublin office to leverage Irish talent for new roles across finance, human resources, and AI.

ChemPoint: Established its new EMEA headquarters in Dublin to fuel regional growth and access local talent across technical sales, supply chain, and product management functions.

Why Ireland, Why Now?

The depth of these commitments reflects Ireland's infrastructure for innovation. Enhanced R&D tax credits, new private wire policy for energy-intensive operations, and partnerships with leading universities provide the regulatory certainty and technical capacity required for advanced AI and semiconductor development. Ireland's commitment to sourcing 80% renewable electricity by 2030 supports the long-term sustainability requirements of data-intensive operations.

West Coast companies are choosing Ireland both for market access and to solve the world's most complex technical challenges. As Ireland prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in July 2026, IDA Ireland will continue to focus on attracting first-time investors and deepening partnerships across AI, semiconductors, sustainability, and life sciences, the strategic growth drivers in IDA Ireland’s "Adapt Intelligently" strategy for 2025-2029.

About IDA Ireland

IDA Ireland is the Irish Government’s foreign direct investment agency, which helps multinational companies build and grow their European operations in Ireland. Founded in 1949, it is one of the world's longest-established investment promotion agencies. Today, the agency supports more than 1,000 operations for U.S. companies across industry sectors, including Technology, Life Sciences, and Financial Service, among others. With eight offices across the U.S.— including major hubs in New York, Chicago, and Palo Alto— IDA Ireland plays an instrumental role in advancing American innovation and growth. For more information, visit www.idaireland.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317050012/en/

Source: IDA Ireland