OpenText to invest €105 million in Ireland & add 400 jobs

OpenText will invest €105 million in Ireland and create 400 jobs in Cork and Galway. It describes the plan as its largest investment in the country and the biggest by a Canadian-headquartered technology group in Ireland.

The three-year expansion includes a new Centre of Excellence in Cork serving Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The new roles will focus on research and development, as well as operations tied to agentic AI, sovereign cloud, cybersecurity and digital operations.

The investment, backed by the Irish government through IDA Ireland, was announced in Dublin alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin and IDA Ireland Chief Executive Officer Michael Lohan. The hiring will add high-skilled positions across Cork and Galway.

OpenText plans to use its Irish sites to design, deploy, secure and operate systems for customers across the EMEA region. The work will focus on organisations in regulated and mission-critical sectors that need tighter control over data governance, cyber resilience and cloud deployment models.

Regional push

The move deepens the Canadian software company's presence in Europe as demand rises for local data controls and cloud arrangements that meet national and regional rules. The Irish investment will expand regional research and operational capacity for customers seeking support across hybrid public cloud, private cloud and sovereign cloud environments.

Ireland has become a key base for multinational technology companies serving European markets, with government agencies continuing to pitch the country as a source of engineering talent and a gateway to the region. For OpenText, the investment expands a long-established Irish footprint and doubles the amount it has committed to the country.

In comments released with the announcement, Micheál Martin linked the decision to wider economic ties between Ireland and Canada. "OpenText's investment in Ireland is a strong endorsement of the deep and growing economic partnership between Ireland and Canada," said Martin, Taoiseach. "It reflects the strength of our longstanding relationship and will help create new opportunities for innovation, trade and high-value job creation between our two countries. Furthermore, as Ireland prepares to take up the EU Presidency, investments of this scale underline our role in shaping Europe's competitiveness in AI, digital infrastructure and innovation and reflect the kind of international partnership that will be central to Europe's future growth and resilience."

AI and cloud

The new spending will support work in three areas that OpenText sees as central to AI deployment in large organisations: agentic AI, sovereign cloud and cybersecurity.

In agentic AI, OpenText's Irish research teams will work on how software agents are orchestrated and governed, including multi-agent collaboration, system boundary enforcement and knowledge sharing across sovereign zones. In data sovereignty, developers are expected to build compliance tools that show where data is held and how it is governed as AI systems become more dynamic.

Cybersecurity research will focus on threat detection and response for regulated environments, including federated intelligence sharing across jurisdictions. The aim is to improve collective resilience without exposing sensitive operational data.

Shannon Bell, who holds dual roles at OpenText, said the investment is intended to increase local support for customers operating under stricter digital and regulatory demands. "Organisations across Europe are looking for trusted partners that can help them deploy AI securely, govern it responsibly, and operate with confidence across increasingly complex digital environments," said Bell, Chief Digital Officer & Chief Information Officer, OpenText. "This investment expands our EMEA R&D and operations capacity to deliver the trusted AI, cybersecurity, and cloud capabilities our clients already rely on globally, while giving European organisations greater regional support and flexibility across the cloud environments of their choice."

Talent base

The project also highlights competition among European countries to attract AI- and cloud-related investment tied to highly skilled employment. Ireland has increasingly sought to position regional cities beyond Dublin as centres for advanced technology jobs, and the inclusion of Cork and Galway fits that goal.

Michael Lohan said the decision reflects Ireland's appeal for international businesses building AI operations. "AI is one of the most significant growth drivers in the global economy today, and OpenText's decision to invest in Ireland reflects our strength as a strategic location for world-leading companies seeking talent, innovation and a trusted environment in which to scale international operations. Particularly welcome is the creation of high-skilled roles across two regional locations, which highlights the depth of talent available throughout the country. This investment will strengthen Ireland's leadership in AI and transformational technology and IDA Ireland looks forward to continuing to work closely in partnership with OpenText as it grows its business in Ireland and deepens its European presence," said Lohan.

OpenText also intends to explore collaboration with universities and research bodies in Ireland as part of its longer-term talent and innovation plans, with possible links in AI, cybersecurity and secure digital operations.