US semiconductor manufacturer Analog Devices is to build a €630 million facility in Co Limerick, adding 600 jobs to its Irish workforce.
The investment at its European regional headquarters in the Raheen Business Park involves the construction of a 45,000sq ft (4,180sq m) research, development, and manufacturing facility.
The company said the new facility will support the development of next-generation signal processing products designed to accelerate the digital transformation of industrial, automotive, healthcare and other sectors.
It is expected to triple the group’s European capacity for wafer production capacity – thin slices of semiconductor material used in manufacturing integrated circuits.
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The company said the investment aligns with its goal of doubling its internal manufacturing capacity to enhance the resilience of its global supply chain and better serve customer needs.
The new facility is expected to grow the company’s employment footprint in the midwest region of Ireland by 600 people, a significant increase on its current 1,500 employees here and 3,100 employees in Europe as a whole.
The announcement comes a year after the company announced a separate investment of €100 million in ADI Catalyst, its 100,000 sq ft custom-built facility for innovation and collaboration at its Limerick campus.
Its current Limerick facility has generated more than 1,000 patents since its inception and has seeded research and development sites throughout Europe in Spain, Italy, Britain, Romania and Germany.
“Since 1976, Ireland has been a critical innovation centre for ADI, thanks to its strong academic and research organisations, business ecosystem and progressive government leadership,” said Analog Devices chief executive Vincent Roche.
“Through organic research and development and close collaboration with our customers and ecosystem partners we are striving to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges and enable a more efficient, safer and sustainable future.”
IDA Ireland chief executive Michael Lohan said the technology the group will develop at the facility “is at the very forefront of innovation and has the potential to revolutionise the lives of billions of people across the world”.
“This investment is intended to strengthen our supply-chain resilience for advanced semiconductor processes,” he said.
“This is a transformational investment for the Limerick site, for the midwest regionand for the semiconductor industry in Ireland. IDA Ireland is committed to supporting investments of scale that impact positively on Europe’s semiconductor industry.”
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “This is a really significant announcement for Limerick and the midwest region, which marks a new chapter in the long-standing relationship between Analog Devices and Ireland.
“This massive €630 million investment is great news for local employment with lots of jobs being created during the construction phase, and 600 high-end graduate jobs.
“It means a significant expansion in the size and scale of the company’s research, innovation and development, leading to new, highly innovative products. This investment is further evidence of the Government’s commitment to bringing jobs to the midwest.”
Mr Varadkar added that the move by the company was another win for Limerick and the business community in the region.
“Most IDA jobs created in recent years have been outside of Dublin, and Limerick has done particularly well with its deep talent pool, universities, airport and infrastructure,” he said. “This investment will also mean lots of spin-off jobs and contracts for local SMEs and Irish-owned businesses.”
