THE GOVERNMENT’S NEW data centre has been delivered on time and on budget.

This afternoon, Minister of State with special responsibility for Public Procurement, Digitalisation and eGovernment Emer Higgins, paid a visit to the new Government Data Centre at Backweston in Co Kildare.

Construction on the data centre began in 2023 and was completed last month.

However, work is still underway on the internal fit-out, which is due to be completed by the end of the year.

This state-of-the-art building was developed under the European Union’s recovery plan, NextGenerationEU.

This recovery plan provides financial aid to EU States to combat the economic and social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and make the European economy “more resistant to future shocks”.

Ireland’s allocation is €1.15 billion, and the government submitted its third payment request, with a value of €240 million, earlier this week.

Ireland has already received its first and second payments of €324 million and €115 million respectively.

The third payment request includes the expansion of the rehabilitation of peatlands, as well as further works on electrification of the transport networks in Cork and Drogheda. 

Meanwhile, a government spokesperson said that the new data centre will “provide secure operations that will future proof the reliable delivery of essential digital services to the public”.

Once the fit-out of the building is complete, the migration of services to the new facility is scheduled to begin early next year.

Higgins said Backweston Data Centre is a “fantastic example of how the NextGenerationEU funding is delivering real, tangible results”.

She said the fact that the “complex” build was completed on time and on budget is a “testament to the skill and dedication of everyone involved”.

She said the new data centre will use the “latest and most efficient technologies to ensure that vital Government data is stored in a secure and energy-efficient way”.

Related Reads

British government asks people to delete old emails to reduce data centres' water use

Does Ireland need more data centres in the near future? Yes, says Taoiseach

Build it and they will hum: What next for Ireland and data centres?

Higgins said this will help the State in meeting its technology and energy-saving requirements “both now and into the future”.

“This state-of-the-art facility will give State bodies the ICT infrastructure they need to work more efficiently, streamline processes, reduce duplication and bring greater consistency to how public services are delivered,” said Higgins.

She also described it as a “significant step forward in our digital transformation journey” and that it will “ultimately help us to provide better public services”.

In England, people have been urged to delete old photos and emails to reduce demands on data centres, which require large amounts of water.

Dr Venkatesh Uddameri, a Texas-based expert in water resources management, recently told the BBC that a typical data centre can use between 11 million and 19 million litres of water per day, roughly the same as a town of 30,000 to 50,000 people.