Microsoft has opened a massive new base in Dublin, which has become home to 2000 workers from 71 different countries.
One Microsoft Place, which is in Leopardstown, cost €134m to build and has been based around the theme of mountains and lakes.
Staff have access to a range of facilities including a music room, a yoga pod, a gym, treatment rooms, a mother’s room, a pod cast room, a number of restaurants with varied cuisine types, hang out areas, play areas and relaxation rooms and the latest and greatest Microsoft technology.
Microsoft employees can choose to meet at the bleacher seating, can have quiet time in one of the many phone booths, or can have lunch at the beach cafe or Italian pizzeria before picking up a loaf of Microsoft bread baked daily by the in-house baker.
Speaking at the launch, the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar said "The Government is determined to ensure that Ireland continues to harness emerging technologies for social and economic benefit."
"Ireland is now ranked 10th globally for the overall quality of its scientific research, an increase of 26 places in 13 years. With this focused and ambitious approach, I believe we can make Dublin the tech capital of Europe", he said.
Cathriona Hallahan, MD, Microsoft Ireland, said the company plans to bring "100,000 young people and their teachers to our campus over the next four years to give them an understanding of the transformational nature of technology, equip them with the digital skills they need to engage fully with technology and encourage them to use their imagination to create their own future."
Meanwhile, 100 new jobs are being created in the city by an Irish owned tech services company. Ammeon will recruit the new staff over the next year and a half.
Most of them will be based at the company's headquarters on D'Olier Street. The company currently employs over 165 people in high-skilled IT roles.
A small number of staff work in Ammeon's smaller UK and European offices.
