Why should you take your data centre career to Ireland?

If there has ever been a universally accepted currency, it is data. Swathes of data are collected, traded and stored with every passing second. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2025, the global population will generate 463 exabytes of data each day. It can be hard to visualise just how much data that is, especially as an exabyte is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes. Imagine it this way – in a few years, we’ll be generating enough data to fill 212,765,957 DVDs every day.

It's a large and growing market, but neither of these factors was guaranteed to protect data centres from the impact of Covid-19. That said, the global market proved itself to be resilient when data centres remained running during the pandemic. But how does Ireland compare to the major players on the data centre scene?

Where does data come from?

Every time someone makes a purchase online, scrolls on social media, checks the news or clocks some steps on their wearable fitness device, data is generated. It’s no wonder that humans create not millions, but quintillions of data every day.

Businesses collect data to improve customer experience and guide their marketing strategy, but it's not just individuals who generate data. Machines that are connected via the Internet of Things (IoT) collect data in real-time, storing it so that it can be retrieved at a later date. Because of tightening regulations, such as GDPR, businesses are under pressure to outsource their data management and look into colocation data centres .

How Ireland’s data centre market compares to the US

While the pandemic dealt a devastating blow for many sectors and severely cut Irish exports, other markets - including IT and life sciences -were able to weather the storm. Covid-19 may have triggered an economic crisis, but the growth of the data centre market looks as though it will remain on track. EirGrid estimates that by 2028, data centres will demand 29% of Ireland’s energy production . This is their Median Forecast, and experts predict that it could top this figure if demand ramps up.

So why Ireland? Data centres in the US are renowned for their size, being the home to more hyperscale data centres than any other place in the world. While Ireland does not have the space to compete with the US on size, the country can grow a data centre market that is powered by renewable energy.

How Ireland can be a leader in data centre sustainability

We’ve built a connected world that relies on data and, in turn, data centres. Every year, the industry delivers innovative solutions to storing this data safely and protecting it from cyber attacks. Now, tech giants are shifting their focus to marrying their data management with their sustainability goals. When you consider that a data centre demands the same amount of power as a large town, it’s understandable why companies are exploring green data centres.

Ireland has pledged that 70% of its power will be generated from renewable energy sources by 2030. While their Climate Action Plan is bold, it steers Irish data centres in the right direction. Similar government policies like these are exactly what Ireland needs to become a leader in data centre sustainability.

The country also has location on its side, being positioned right on the edge of the Atlantic where it can harness an enormous amount of wind power. The option to power data centres using wind will be a huge draw for tech giants looking to fulfil their carbon neutral goals. This commitment to a greener future is one of the many benefits of living and working in Ireland .

Explore our latest data centre jobs

Here at Quanta, we know that data centres are the key pillar of the new world. And as the demand for data centres grows, so does the need for skilled professionals who are passionate about working in this market. If you want to be at the forefront of the booming digital cloud economy, why not browse our data centre jobs? Our consultants at Quanta are specialists in their markets, meaning that our data centre team know what it takes to grow your career. Contact us to start a conversation.