Ireland, and particularly Dublin, is home to a host of the world’s largest and most influential tech companies. Industry giants such as Facebook, Google and LinkedIn all have headquarters in the country, attracted by the attractive 12.5% corporate tax rates and the Irish government’s Foreign Direct Investment arm who incentivised companies to settle in Ireland. From creating new technology for Irish Casinos to the establishment of eco-focused startups, we analyse how Irish tech companies have extended their global reach, and the impact this is having on the world economy:
A Hotbed of Gaming Innovation
Whilst Ireland has long had a reputation attracting the largest brands, it is increasingly gaining a reputation for its innovation within a tech space. The online gaming and online gambling industries in particular are booming. One name in particular that jumps out in this arena is Blackstaff Games, which is one of the world leaders in the fields of both animation and interactive online content creation. One of the biggest gaming companies in the world, Riot Games, has also recently established a permanent base in Ireland, thanks to their acquisition of the home-grown brand Hypixel Studios. Online casino innovation is key to the success of the industry: the brands that will be most successful are those that continue to invest in better graphics, smoother gameplay, and new technology. By leading the innovation in the increasingly competitive online animation sector, Ireland is putting itself on the global map: the country now has a reputation for being the Silicon Valley of the gambling industry.
The Top Destination for Travel Tech
In addition to its reputation for world-beating gaming innovation, Ireland is also the world’s top destination for travel tech. Travel has always been in the Irish psyche, so it should come as no surprise that over 50% of the world’s leased commercial airlines are managed from Ireland. But in recent years, it is the country’s innovation in travel tech that has really garnered media attention, rather than its commitment to physical travel. From B2B travel technology platforms (such as the world leading CarCrawler) to online booking platforms, such as Hostelworld, the huge number of Irish travel tech brands continues to be impressive. For the last 40 years, Ireland has been the second largest exporter of software in the world, and this has been increasingly channeled into the travel arena. And with artificial intelligence increasingly driving the travel industry, helping to make the way customers interact with the market much smarter, this demand for technology has only fed into the country’s strengths. It’s important to note that major travel tech companies such as Airbnb, Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor all have their European hubs in Ireland: this helps to feed the unique, globally focused, travel tech ecosystem that exists in the region.
High End Telecom Specialists
Technological developments and telecommunications function hand in hand, which is why the huge number of telecommunication specialists established in Ireland should be seen as a natural progression of the tech startups and giants that operate in the country. Telecommunications infrastructure plays an integral role in keeping businesses and societies connected: no business can focus on global development without this infrastructure in place. The Indigo Telecom Group has recently announced that they will be expanding in Ireland across 2021, in a bid to increase their growth trajectory considerably, and to focus on global growth too. 5G internet, and 5G technology is coming: and the sooner we see this take off in Ireland, the sooner we will see what is already very rapid telecommunication development (and the positive impact this has across all Irish businesses) really sky rocket.
