Jurisdiction Index / Ireland
Ireland
JCI composite · as of · methodology v0
Ireland scores 54.1/100 on the Compute Institute Jurisdiction Competitiveness Index (Tier 3, Contested), ranking #23 of 30 rated jurisdictions with a positive outlook, as of June 15, 2026 under methodology v0. Its strongest dimension is Stability & Execution Risk at 8.5/10; its weakest is Power Cost at 1.7/10. 16 of 22 sub-factors are scored on E1–E2 evidence (data confidence B). The positive outlook is driven by 6 forward-looking signals (+1.14 net points, E3–E4 evidence): cost certainty / contractability (E3), permitting regime (E3), observed construction velocity (E3), labor & supply capacity (E3), committed capital (E3) and sovereign/anchor capital availability (E3).
Dimension breakdown
Seven dimensions, each 0–10, weighted per methodology v0. JCI = Σ(dimension × weight) × 10.
Power Availability & Deliverability
Power Cost
Speed to Build
Regulatory & AI Policy Environment
Fiscal & Incentives
Capital & Ecosystem Depth
Stability & Execution Risk
Outlook drivers — Positive (+1.14 net points)
Forward-looking E3–E4 signals. They move the outlook only — never the base score.
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Cost certainty / contractability +0.19 pts as of
“Ireland hosts one of Europe's more active corporate PPA markets, with hyperscalers (Amazon, Microsoft, Google) signing multiple wind/solar PPAs (partners including Orsted, Statkraft); the CRU's new 80%-additional-renewables-within-6-years rule effectively mandates long-term contracted renewable supply, supporting cost contractability despite high spot prices.”
Source: Ireland Data Center Report 2024 (renewable PPA partnerships) (www.globenewswire.com)
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Permitting regime -1.05 pts as of
“DC planning runs through An Coimisiun Planala (formerly An Bord Pleanala) with material judicial-review exposure: the 200MW Art Data Centres campus in Co. Clare received its ABP permit in April 2024, then faced a High Court judicial review that was dismissed in March 2025, clearing the project after ~1 year of challenge; JR delay risk is real but the permit ultimately held rather than being blocked.”
Source: RTE - Court says error over bat should not stop data centre (24 Mar 2025) (www.rte.ie)
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Observed construction velocity +0.00 pts as of
“Thin/honest grade: public disclosures show an established build base (~120 operating DCs, ~1,000+ MW pipeline) with hyperscaler campus-style execution at Grange Castle/Profile Park, but no internal-DB velocity series available; physical construction is competent while grid-connection sequencing, not building, is the binding delay.”
Source: Ireland Data Center Market analyses (2024-2025 stock & pipeline) (www.mordorintelligence.com)
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Labor & supply capacity +0.88 pts as of
“Ireland sits inside the EU single market for equipment import and labour mobility, with a mature DC EPC/contractor ecosystem serving Europe's third-largest hyperscale hub (Dublin); construction labour and switchgear/transformer supply are EU-standard, a relative strength versus the grid bottleneck.”
Source: Ireland Data Center Market Report 2025-2030 (hyperscale ecosystem) (www.globenewswire.com)
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Committed capital +0.75 pts as of
“Honest grade from public filings/announcements: hyperscalers run multi-campus DC investments in Dublin (AWS alone operates 30+ sites; Microsoft/Google extensive Grange Castle/Profile Park campuses), and market analysts project the Ireland DC market revenue reaching ~$4.45B by 2030, evidencing large committed AI-infra capital despite grid constraints.”
Source: Arizton / Ireland DC Market - revenue to $4.45B by 2030 (www.barchart.com)
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Sovereign/anchor capital availability +0.38 pts as of
“The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), managed by the NTMA, is a multi-billion-euro sovereign development fund (reported ~$28B AUM by mid-2025 per Global SWF) with a dual commercial/economic-impact mandate that can anchor infrastructure including energy and connectivity; precise cumulative-since-2014 deployment and co-investment figures could not be confirmed from a primary human-readable source, so graded conservatively.”
Source: Global SWF - ISIF fund profile (~$28B AUM, mid-2025) (globalswf.com)
Sub-factor scores and sources
Every base-scored input below carries E1–E2 evidence: a justification, an evidence-level grade, and a link to the underlying source document.
Power Availability & Deliverability — 3/10 (weight 20%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grid headroom 40% of dimension | 2.5 /10 | Data centres consumed 22% of Ireland's total metered electricity in 2024 (6,969 GWh, up 10% from 6,335 GWh in 2023 per CSO), forecast to reach 31% by 2034; the Dublin grid (where ~95 of ~120 DCs sit, ~50% of regional demand) was effectively at its physical ceiling, prompting EirG... as of | CSO Data Centres Metered Electricity Consumption 2024 (released 10 Jun 2025) www.cso.ie | |
| Time-to-power 35% of dimension | 2 /10 | A de-facto moratorium on new Dublin DC grid connections ran from 2021 until Dec 2025 (EirGrid had signalled no new Dublin connections possibly until 2028); the CRU2025236 decision now permits connections but only where grid-node capacity exists and only after the DC builds dispat... as of | CRU Large Energy User connection policy decision (CRU2025236, Dec 2025) kpmg.com | |
| Energy mix & expandability 15% of dimension | 3 /10 | 2024 generation was 42% natural gas and 32% wind with 14% net imports; gas import dependency was 79.5% and overall energy import dependency 79.6% (vs EU ~58%), and the CRU now requires new DCs to self-supply 100% of MIC via front-of-meter generation/storage and meet 80% of annual... as of | SEAI Energy in Ireland 2024 / National Energy Balance 2024 www.seai.ie | |
| Water availability 10% of dimension | 8 /10 | Ireland is a low-baseline-water-stress jurisdiction in WRI Aqueduct 4.0 (temperate maritime climate, high rainfall), so DC cooling water supply is not a binding constraint; the WRI Aqueduct platform classifies Ireland in the low (<10% withdrawal-to-supply) water-stress band. as of | WRI Aqueduct 4.0 Country Rankings www.wri.org |
Power Cost — 1.7/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial electricity price 60% of dimension | 1 /10 | Ireland had the EU's highest non-household electricity prices: ~20.69 c/kWh ($224/MWh) for the 20,000-70,000 MWh band in 2024, easing to 19.14 c/kWh (~$207/MWh) in H2 2025 (Eurostat); both sit at/beyond the 0-anchor of >$140/MWh, making power cost a severe negative. as of | Eurostat electricity price statistics (non-household) ec.europa.eu | |
| Price trajectory & exposure 25% of dimension | 3.5 /10 | Prices eased modestly (20.69 to 19.14 c/kWh, 2024 to H2 2025) but Ireland remains structurally exposed: 79.5% gas-import dependent with 42% gas-fired generation, leaving wholesale power highly sensitive to EU gas prices and EU ETS carbon costs. as of | Eurostat / SEAI National Energy Balance 2024 ec.europa.eu | |
| Cost certainty / contractability 15% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
Speed to Build (weight 17.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permitting regime 40% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
| Observed construction velocity 35% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
| Labor & supply capacity 25% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
Regulatory & AI Policy Environment — 5.4/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI-specific law in force 35% of dimension | 6 /10 | The EU AI Act (Reg. 2024/1689) entered into force 1 Aug 2024 with phased application directly binding in Ireland: prohibited-practice rules from 2 Feb 2025, GPAI governance rules from 2 Aug 2025, and Annex III / Art. 6(1) high-risk obligations from 2 Aug 2027; an enacted, underwr... as of | EU AI Act Article 113 (Entry into force and application) artificialintelligenceact.eu | |
| DC-specific regulation 35% of dimension | 2.5 /10 | Ireland has a real, restrictive DC-specific regime: the CRU2025236 Large Energy User connection policy mandates that new DCs >10 MVA install dispatchable front-of-meter generation/storage covering 100% of MIC, provide power back to the grid, and source 80% of annual demand from a... as of | CRU Large Energy User connection policy decision (CRU2025236, Dec 2025) www.pinsentmasons.com | |
| Regulatory predictability 30% of dimension | 8 /10 | Ireland scores 1.79 on World Bank WGI Regulatory Quality (2024, scale -2.5 to +2.5; world avg -0.02) and 1.59 on Rule of Law (world avg -0.07), both among the strongest globally; rules are restrictive but transparently administered and legally underwriteable. as of | World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators www.worldbank.org |
Fiscal & Incentives — 6.4/10 (weight 10%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enacted incentives 40% of dimension | 5.5 /10 | Ireland offers an enacted R&D tax credit and capital allowances on plant/machinery and industrial buildings usable by DC operators, but has no DC-specific tax incentive and active policy now constrains rather than subsidises the sector - a moderate, honestly-graded incentive base... as of | Chambers Corporate Tax 2025 - Ireland practiceguides.chambers.com | |
| Headline tax burden 40% of dimension | 8 /10 | Ireland retains a 12.5% trading corporation tax rate (in force since 2003) for groups under EUR 750m turnover - among the most competitive in the OECD; large in-scope groups now face an effective 15% via the QDTT, still globally favourable. as of | PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries - Ireland Corporate Income Tax taxsummaries.pwc.com | |
| Incentive durability 20% of dimension | 5 /10 | OECD Pillar Two is now legislated in Ireland (IIR from 1 Jan 2024, UTPR from 1 Jan 2025, EUR 750m threshold), imposing a 15% minimum and a 2.5% QDTT top-up that erodes the historic 12.5% edge for large hyperscaler groups - a clear durability risk to Ireland's tax advantage. as of | Dept of Finance / MHC - Pillar Two & QDTT in effect 2024-2025 www.gov.ie |
Capital & Ecosystem Depth — 8.5/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committed capital 40% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
| Ecosystem 30% of dimension | 8.5 /10 | Dublin is the world's third-largest hyperscale DC hub and one of Europe's largest markets (~120 facilities, ~6,969 GWh consumed in 2024), with dense subsea-fibre landings, full hyperscaler presence (AWS/Microsoft/Google) and operators including Digital Realty, Equinix, EdgeConneX... as of | Ireland Data Center market analyses + CSO 2024 consumption enable-research.ie | |
| Sovereign/anchor capital availability 30% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
Stability & Execution Risk — 8.5/10 (weight 15%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political/policy continuity 40% of dimension | 8 /10 | Ireland scores 0.71 on World Bank WGI Political Stability (2024, world avg -0.07) alongside strong Government Effectiveness, reflecting stable EU-member governance and policy continuity; DC policy is restrictive but set through orderly, predictable institutional processes. as of | World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators www.worldbank.org | |
| Currency, transfer & convertibility 35% of dimension | 9.5 /10 | Ireland uses the euro with full capital mobility and no exchange controls; S&P upgraded the sovereign to AA+ (from AA) in Mar 2026 (Moody's Aa3, Fitch AA), putting Ireland within one notch of AAA - essentially no transfer/convertibility risk. as of | S&P Global sovereign rating upgrade to AA+ (Irish Times, 20 Mar 2026) www.irishtimes.com | |
| Physical & geopolitical risk 25% of dimension | 8 /10 | Ireland faces low conventional physical/geopolitical risk (stable EU member, WGI Political Stability 0.71 vs world avg -0.07); the principal honest caveat is subsea-cable security exposure given Ireland's role as a major transatlantic fibre landing point, a tail risk rather than... as of | World Bank WGI 2024 - Political Stability (Ireland 0.71) www.theglobaleconomy.com |
Signals
Recent ingested source documents linked to this jurisdiction via extracted claims or triage mentions, newest first.
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www.theglobaleconomy.com · relevance 0.00
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www.irishtimes.com · relevance 0.00
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enable-research.ie · relevance 0.50
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globalswf.com · relevance 0.00
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www.barchart.com · relevance 0.40
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www.globenewswire.com · relevance 0.50
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www.gov.ie · relevance 0.00
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practiceguides.chambers.com · relevance 0.00
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taxsummaries.pwc.com · relevance 0.00
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www.pinsentmasons.com · relevance 0.50
Scores are reproducible from the frozen inputs snapshot recorded at computation time (2026-06-15T23:52:38+00:00). See the full methodology for rubrics, weights, and the evidence ladder.