Apple to boost Ireland operations with new building at Cork campus

Proposed four-storey building will run on 100% renewable energy and accommodate 1,300 staff

The production line at Apple's Cork campus in Ireland, the iPhone maker's first complex outside the US. Photo: Apple

Apple is planning to expand its Cork campus in Ireland with the construction of a new building to accommodate about 1,300 workers, it has been reported.

The four-storey building, which will run on 100 per cent renewable energy powered by solar panels, will also include transport for employees, storage areas for bicycles and charging points for electric vehicles, the Irish Examiner reported on Tuesday.

Apple plans to start building the facility by the end of 2023 and complete it by 2025, the newspaper report said. The planning application, which is pending approval, includes a partial lower-ground floor for offices and meeting rooms, plus staff welfare and service areas.

The iPhone maker did not disclose the cost of the project, but it has already invested €250 million ($268m) in its Cork campus – the first Apple headquarters outside the US – over the past five years.

“We’ve called Cork home for more than 40 years and are thrilled to accelerate our investments here as we grow our team and expand our campus," the Examiner quoted Cathy Kearney, Apple’s vice president of European operations, as saying.

"We are proud to be part of the community here and with this new project, we will continue to create new jobs, support local organisations and drive innovation on behalf of our customers.”

The announcement comes after Apple opened a new engineering and test centre last month in the former Banta warehouse complex in Cork, that will test and analyse products for distribution in Europe.

Apple's proposed new building will be constructed on an existing car park and be connected to the HH4 building with an elevated corridor, the Examiner said.

The move was welcomed by Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, who said it was "evidence of Apple’s strong commitment to Cork and a strong endorsement of Ireland as a location for tech companies to grow", the report said.

“Apple was a trailblazer in technology at the time they established operations in Cork and their presence here gave, and continues to give, confidence to many more global tech companies to locate in Ireland. It is most encouraging to see them continue to invest in their Cork site," the report quoted Mr Martin as saying.

Apple began operations in Ireland in 1980 and, as of its 40th anniversary in 2020, had more than 6,000 employees at its Cork campus, which serves as the company's European headquarters.

_________________________

Apple iPhone through the ages