Martin O’Keeffe
MD, Infineon Technologies Semiconductor Ireland
Thanks to a strong talent pipeline and a supportive and encouraging business environment, Ireland has proved to be a rewarding location for companies in the technology industry.
What makes the island of Ireland an ideal environment for tech companies? The more you investigate, the more reasons you find, says Martin O’Keeffe, MD of Infineon Technologies Semiconductor Ireland, a company that makes semiconductors for everything from cars and green industrial power to security in internet-of-things applications. It now operates Research and Development Design Centres and Corporate Supply Chain functions across its sites in Dublin and Cork.
Harnessing Ireland’s talent pipeline
From an R&D perspective, one of the factors driving Infineon’s investment in Ireland was — and is — the country’s extraordinary talent pipeline. “We have the youngest population in Europe,” notes O’Keeffe. “It’s also a very well-educated population, thanks to the strength of Irish universities and their focus on STEM subjects. When a company invests considerable capital in a new location, it wants to know that the investment will last. Ireland’s excellent talent pipeline provides that reassurance.”
In the agile business ecosystem
that has been created here,
companies are seen as adaptable.
Supportive ecosystem for semiconductor companies
Ireland also has a supportive business ecosystem. For example, IDA Ireland — the country’s inward investment agency — has been a strategic partner to Infineon during its Irish expansion activities. “IDA Ireland offers foreign businesses unique support and collaboration, either helping them to invest in Ireland for the first time, or grow the investment they have already made,” explains O’Keeffe. “Working as a collective, we’re able to emphasise the importance of our industry and lobby for easier access to talent and funding.”
Other investment incentives included Ireland’s ease of doing business and its positive, can-do attitude. “People here are able to understand a challenge quickly and flip it into a solution,” says O’Keeffe. “In addition, we’re an open-minded country which respects different nationalities. Irish people are also adept at network-building and using their connections to spot market trends and navigate choppy waters. Plus, in the agile business ecosystem that has been created here, companies are seen as adaptable. This, in turn, encourages new investment.”
Just last year, the company announced plans to significantly expand its R&D presence in Ireland with 100 new jobs. “As a business, our main areas of focus are decarbonisation and digitalisation,” O’Keeffe says. “These megatrends are key to the automotive sector, which is one of our biggest revenue streams. As a result, I expect our investment in Ireland to continue in the years ahead.”
